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  Motion Matters - UNStudio at the Aedes Gallery in Berlin, opening May 17th

  08/05/2013

  In the exhibition ‘Motion Matters’ UNStudio presents ten of their milestone projects, as well as their perspective on 25 years of architectural production, the current architectural practice, and current topics that determine the design challenge today. In the exhibition UNStudio explores the theme Mobility in Matter. In various installations the effects of perspective, light, color, space, and material on viewer perception are tested. Within transitional spaces, optical illusions such as moiré and trompe l’oeil effects are brought to contemporary public places with the aim of engaging the visitor and generating perceptual experiences.

  Exhibition dates: May 17 – July 4, 2013
  Opening: Friday, May 17, 2013, 6:30 PM
  Location: Aedes am Pfefferberg, Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin

  Further information: Aedes Gallery >>

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  Seating Stones win Red Dot Design Award

  01/05/2013

  Ben van Berkel / UNStudio’s Seating Stones for Walter Knoll have been awarded the “red dot award 2013” in the category product design.  

  With its origins dating back to 1955, the red dot design award ranks among the largest and most renowned competitions in the world today. The motto of the award in 2013 was “In search for excellence”.

  The sculptural Seating Stones are inspired by the rhythmic smoothness of geological formations. They offer a diversity of options for placement, as individual objects or side by side as a family of forms in a variety of configurations.

  Seating Stones >>

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  UNStudio to launch open source knowledge sharing

  16/04/2013

  UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPED THROUGH BUILDING PRACTICE IS THE NEW CORE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE BEYOND COLLABORATION TOWARDS CO-CREATION
  
  In June this year UNStudio will launch the new organisation of its practice as an
  open-source knowledge-based practice operating projects around four specialised Knowledge Platforms.

  As part of the reorganisation of the studio a new interactive online knowledge platform will be launched, aimed at facilitating the open exchange of knowledge, with the ultimate goal of introducing and encouraging the expansion from a collaborative to a co-creative working model for architecture.

  Whilst the architect will continue to design his or her own projects, the practice of architecture needs to adjust, to gather, edit and apply co-creative intelligence in order to create responsive architecture that is more integral, more holistic, more responsible and more intelligent.
  
  
  
   

  Ben van Berkel: “From the outset at UNStudio we have continually reexamined and reevaluated our practice, with the result that at certain key moments we have recognised the need for extensive reorganisation. Now, once again, the challenging climate within the profession today has in turn challenged us to take a close look and to rethink our organisational model with the ultimate aim of improving our architecture and ensuring its relevance within contemporary conditions. However, finding ourselves unable to locate a relevant model from within the profession, we became fascinated by the new initiatives put in place by online start-up companies - such as social networking firms - who have moved from an old economy to a far more innovative economy which celebrates communication, open exchange and co-creation. Believing that architecture can benefit greatly from adopting and adapting such an approach, in recent years we have set about the reorganisation of our studio into an open knowledge-based practice.”

  Further information >>
  
  
  
   

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  Ben van Berkel and Harm Wassink volunteer lessons in architecture at the IMC Weekendschool

  15/04/2013

  Last weekend (14th April 2013) Ben van Berkel and Harm Wassink of UNStudio volunteered a day of teaching at the IMC Weekendschool in Amsterdam. The IMC Weekendschool is a national organisation in the Netherlands that provides children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods with supplementary education.

  In an introductory presentation by Ben van Berkel the class was informed about the profession of architecture, what the role of the architect entails and was introduced to examples of important buildings from around the world.

  Practical sessions followed in which the pupils created and sketched their own designs, were instructed in measuring and understanding floor plans, worked with a detail which they believed distinguishes their own home from others and learned about the differences between 2D and 3D representations. Following the workshops the children each presented their own design to the group.

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  New seating system 'Studio' for Offecct launched at Salone del Mobile, Milan

  10/04/2013

  Ben van Berkel / UNStudio's new seating series 'Studio' is launched by Swedish furniture brand OFFECCT at the Salone del Mobile in Milan.

  Project overview >>

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  UNStudio presentation and Platform Dialogues at Tortona Design Week 2013 in Milan

  04/04/2013

  9TH - 14TH APRIL 2013, EMPORIO BUILDING IN OPIFICIO COURTYARD, VIA TORTONA 31, MILAN 
  
  UNStudio will be presenting a selection of their product and interior works at TDW 2013. The designs will be exhibited in an inviting and interactive setting of shifting perspectives in the Emporio building in Zona Tortona.

  A new product series designed by Ben van Berkel / UNStudio for the furniture brand Offecct will also be launched at this year's Salone del Mobile.

  PLATFORM DIALOGUES
  In collaboration with UNStudio’s Knowledge Platforms, a programme of Platform Dialogues by specialists from within the UNStudio network will also be organised throughout the week:
  
  DESIGNING FOR CO-CREATING
  TUESDAY 9th APRIL, 11:00-12:00
  How can architecture and product design contribute to co-creation? Is co-creation a romantic idea driven by the democratisation and customisation of the consumer industry, or a true reflection of contemporary working practices?  What are the potential benefits of co-creating within architecture and product design? This session investigates the importance of materiality at the human scale of design. Jurgen Bey, Ben van Berkel and Leo Schouten invite design critics and writers to actively share their opinions concerning the future of co-creation. Sharing an interest in encouraging dialogue, innovation and creative exchange through design, they will discuss the process of co-creating within their own practices, as well as the designing of spaces for the accommodation of co-creation.
  Panelists:
  Ben van Berkel - Co-Founder/ Principal Architect UNStudio
  Jurgen Bey - Director/ designer Studio Makkink & Bey and director PROOFFLab
  Leo Schouten - Founder / director PROOFF

  MATERIAL ATTAINABILITY
  FRIDAY 12th APRIL, 15:00-16:00
  Every day we strive to find new materials and novel uses for old ones to discover inventive, effective and sustainable solutions. In the context of this Dialogue, ‘attainability’ is the combination of research and sustainability in the pursuit of advanced materials.  For this dialogue we will explore what materials can do now, and what we want them to do tomorrow.
  Panelists:
  Gabi Böhm - Senior Architect/Project Manager, Premier Composite Technologies
  Micol Costi - Director of Materials Research Material Connexion Italia
  Giammichele Melis - Associate Director Buro Happold
  James O’Callaghan - Director Eckersley O’Callaghan Structural + Facade Engineers
  Federica Sem - Managing Director Permasteelisa Interiors
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  INTERFACE
  SATURDAY 13th APRIL, 15.00-16.00
  Whether it is as a portal to the World Wide Web or active nano-technologies, the communication between users and materials is no longer only one-way.  The surfaces and objects through which we communicate and design provide new tactile and virtual feedbacks.  This Dialogue will explore the current and future possibilities of Interfaces with each other and through materiality.
  Panelists:
  Markus Benz - CEO Walter Knoll
  Birgit Lohmann - Associate Editor-in-Chief Designboom
  Jan-Christoph Zoels - Senior Partner user experience design Experentia
  
  If you are unable to join us please view the recordings from the Platform Dialogues at:
  http://www.unstudio.com/research/platform-dialogues
  
  FURTHER DISCUSSIONS AND EVENTS IN THE EMPORIO BUILDING
  
  Opening - Mon April 8th at 10:00
  
  PROOFF Breakfast - Wednesday April 10th, 10:00
  PROOFF Breakfast - Friday April 12th, 10:00
  
  Connecting Items (invitation only):
  'To Curate, or not to Curate' - Connecting the Dots – Wednesday April 10th, 18:30-19:15 – with Domitilla Dardi, Ingeborg De Roode and Jurgen Bey. Host: David Heldt
  'Fluid Collaborations' – Thursday April 11th, 18:30-19:15 - with Caroline Bos. Further speakers to be Confirmed. Host: Max Bruinsma
  
  UNSTUDIO AND PROOFF
  UNStudio’s approach to interior and product design is based on the combination of a deep understanding and working knowledge of materials and innovative technology with distinctive spatial design strategies.
  UNStudio will be showing a selection of furniture designs including, among others, the Circle Sofa, the Red Dot award winning Seating Stones and MYchair (Walter Knoll), along with the Tea & Coffee Towers and the Switch Tray (Alessi). The pieces will be displayed in a spatial installation featuring large scale photographs of UNStudio interiors. By moving through the pavilion, shifting perspectives appear, demonstrating the visual and spatial effects of new, more dynamic, materializations.

  At the same time and in the same space innovative furniture brand PROOFF will present their range of products and launch PROOFFlab. UNStudio and PROOFF will each exhibit their work in distinct yet reciprocal installations in the Emporio building. The presentations illustrate the collaborative nature of both practices and their shared interest in encouraging dialogue, innovation and creative exchange.
  
  
  
  
  
   

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  PROOFF & UNStudio sharing the beautiful Emporio building during Tortona Design Week 2013

  26/02/2013

  UNStudio and PROOFF will each exhibit their work in distinct yet reciprocal installations in the Emporio building at the Salone del Mobile in April. In addition, a series of presentations and workshops will be organised by both the UNStudio Knowledge Platforms and PROOFlab throughout the week.
  
  Further info:
   

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  Ben van Berkel elected as an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects

  11/02/2013

  The AIA Jury of Honorary Fellows announced on Friday that Ben van Berkel has been elected as an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
  
  The AIA Honorary Fellowship programme was developed as the international counterpart to the Fellowship programme. Honorary fellowship is bestowed on architects of esteemed character and distinguished achievements who are neither U.S. citizens nor U.S. residents, and who do not primarily practice architecture within the domain of the Institute.
   

  Election to honorary fellowship not only recognises the achievements of the foreign architect as an individual, but also elevates before the international public and the profession a model architect who has made a significant contribution to architecture and society on an international level. The Honorary Fellowship is among the highest honours the AIA can bestow upon a colleague who has contributed significantly to architecture and society.

  Ben van Berkel will receive the Honorary Fellowship and medal during the Investiture of Fellows and Honorary Fellows to be held on Friday, June 21, 2013 in Denver.

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  The New Spijkenisse Theatre breaks ground

  15/11/2012

  UNStudio' new Theatre for Spiijkenisse will break ground today.

  The ground breaking ceremony will take place this afternoon on the 3600m2 site on the Schenkelweg in Spijkenisse.
  UNStudio won the competition to design the theatre in 2008 and its doors are scheduled to open to the public in 2014.

  
  Project overview
   

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  UNStudio’s Seating Stones presented at Orgatec 2012

  22/10/2012

  UNStudio’s Seating Stones for Walter Knoll will be presented this week at Orgatec 2012 in Cologne.
  Orgatec, Cologne, Oct 23rd to 27th
  Walter Knoll stand:  Hall 10.2, Stand L10-20/K11-21

  Project overview
   

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  Haus am Weinberg completed

  16/10/2012

  Unstudio's Haus am Weinberg in Stuttgart, Germany has been realised.

  Please project overview for further information.

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  Arnhem Central Plaforms win the National Steel Prize 2012 for utility buildings

  05/10/2012

  UNStudio's recently completed platform coverings and elevated footbridge for the Arnhem Central train station in the Netherlands have been awarded the National Steel Prize 2012 for utility builidings.

  The design concept for the new platform roofs provides a sense of light and space. Large roof lights, which together with the structural spans, add to a positive experience of the transfer platforms and surroundings. The elevated footbridge is fully integrated in the design, connecting the different platforms with each other and with the north entrance of the train station. The electrified system has also been integrated into the roof structure, giving a uniform appearance across all platforms.

  Website National Steel Prize

   

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  Ben van Berkel's home city Amsterdam is the focus in an episode of ARTE's new documentary series on contemporary European architects

  02/09/2012

  Ben van Berkel hosts a visit in a new series by culture channel ARTE on exceptional architecture in Europe. In each episode of the new documentary series entitled "My City / Ma Ville" Viennese architect Jacob Dunkl meets up with a renowned architect and together they explore the city in which the architect lives and works.
  In the first episode, "My City: Amsterdam", Ben van Berkel and Jacob Dunkle will travel through the city, experiencing its beauty and peculiarities, its climate, people and planning, exploring and examining it through their

  particular background and knowledge. The two will visit well-known as well as unknown buildings and city sites and exchange thoughts on the city's historical and contemporary architecture and urban development.
  The 55 minute episode will be broadcasted on September 2nd at 14.55.
  
  Further information

  Video can be veiwed for 7 days after the first broadcast here.

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  Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos awarded Professorships at two leading international Universities

  07/08/2012

  Caroline Bos awarded Honorary Professorship at University of Melbourne's Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning and Ben van Berkel's Kenzo Tange Chair at Harvard University Graduate School of Design extended for three years.  
  
  Caroline Bos has been awarded an Honorary Professorship at The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning 
  The University of Melbourne’s Senior Appointments and Promotions Committee (SAPC) recently advised in favour of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning’s nomination of Caroline Bos to a five year Honorary Professorial position within the faculty.
  As an Honorary Professor, Caroline Bos will contribute to the teaching and research at the school through lectures, master classes and student crits.
  
  Caroline Bos will commence her Professorship with a free public lecture titled 'More not Less - Value Engineering for Architecture', as part of the MSD Dean's Lecture Series on August 7th 2012.
  
   

  Ben van Berkel - Kenzo Tange Chair extended for 3 years at Harvard University Graduate School of Design
  In 2011 Ben van Berkel was awarded the Kenzo Tange Visiting Professor Chair at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Following the studio carried out in the Fall semester of the same year, the Kenzo Tange Chair has been extended to Ben van Berkel for a further period of three years.
  
  Broadening the scope of the initial studio, which addressed the question of knowledge spaces, and how such spaces facilitate the generation and dissemination of information, the upcoming studio, ‘Unfinished Work’, will investigate the relationship between architecture and emerging modes of production. 
  
  Kenzo Tange Chair
  Since spring 1984, twenty-nine internationally recognized architects and urbanists have been appointed to the Kenzo Tange Visiting Professorship Chair at Harvard University. In these twenty-seven years recipients have included Alvaro Siza, Enric Miralles, Peter Zumthor, Zaha Hadid and Kazuyo Sejima. In addition, several current faculty members, including Rafael Moneo, Farshid Moussavi, and Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron were also recipients of the Chair.

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  UNStudio designs the new UIC building ‘V on Shenton’ in Singapore

  31/07/2012

  UNStudio have designed the new UIC building, ‘V on Shenton’, in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District.
  The dual programming of ‘V on Shenton’, comprising office and residential, presents a unique situation in this area of the city.
  The twin tower is comprised of a 23-storey office building and a 53-storey residential tower with a shared plinth.
  Just as the office and residential towers are of the same family of forms, so do their facades originate from the same family of patterns. The basic shape of the hexagon is used to create patterns that increase the performance of the facades with angles and shading devices that are responsive to the climatic conditions of Singapore.
  
   

  Ben van Berkel: “The pattern of the façade comprises four to five different textures, each varying depending on the programme. At times the glass of the façade creates texture through the relief effect and the coloured side lighting, whilst the volumetric balconies of the residences create a deep texture in the total volume of the building.“
  The sky lobbies and the sky garden are an integral part of ‘V on Shenton’ and provide 360 degree views of Singapore. Along with the facades, the sky gardens are an integral part of developing the sustainable lifestyle of the 'V on Shenton'.

  Project overview  

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  Realisation Centre for Virtual Engineering (ZVE) in Stuttgart

  20/06/2012

  Virtual Engineering in the New Inventive Economy
  
  UNStudio’s Centre for Virtual Engineering (ZVE) for the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart has been realised.
  The official opening takes place today with an opening ceremony during which the German Sustainable Building Council (DNGB) will award the building with a Gold certification.

  Ben van Berkel: “The ZVE Fraunhofer Institute was designed as a new prototype for how architecture can incorporate a contemporary understanding of the work place and stimulate new ways of working in the future. The traditional office grid and the separation of work spaces is replaced by the incorporation of extensive visual connections, spaces for incidental and planned meetings and flexible office ‘laboratories’ with shared work stations. Communication is key to new and creative ways of working and we designed the ZVE Fraunhofer Institute to stimulate this at all levels through architecture.”

  Located on the research campus of the Fraunhofer institute in Stuttgart Vaihingen, the Centre for Virtual Engineering ZVE specializes in the investigation of different multidisciplinary work flows. UNStudio worked in collaboration with Asplan from Kaiserslautern on the architectural services for the Centre. UNStudio was responsible for the design development, the required 3D-planning and implementation during all planning processes. Asplan was responsible for the development of the construction documents and the site supervision.

  See project overview

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