Inside the October/November 2013 issue a full review of the renovation project.
Journalist Eva Vroom defines itsthe study square: “A generous and light space able to connect the various programme’s spaces in an elegant manner.”
Founding partner of KAAN Architecten, Dikkie Scipio, recently sat down for an interview with Merel Pit for A.ZINE’s Ms. Architect section. Read their conversation below!
Originally published on a-zine.nl (available in Dutch here)
“The fact that there are fewer women than men in architectural firms has nothing to do with the profession itself.” Dikkie Scipio, founding partner of KAAN Architecten, launches right into the interview with a statement about women in architecture. What follows is a discussion about her desire to take her responsibility as a role model seriously, and her opinions on what quality means in architecture. If she could plan the future, she would be designing two more significant buildings and then become Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands.
Once we’ve taken our seats in the meeting room, Dikkie Scipio gets right down to business: “So you interview women working in architecture. I find ‘women in architecture’ a difficult subject; I’ve always felt this. I fight it tooth and nail, the idea that there are fewer female architects because of the nature of the work itself. It’s nonsense that gender has any kind of influence on the quality of work you produce as an architect.”
What is the reason behind it then?
“Everything has to happen in that first phase of life – buying a house, having children, building a career – and in the meantime our life expectancy keeps rising. We’re gaining more and more time, while our window of fertility remains the same. So we need to develop a vision for the entire span of our life. The time for having children and raising them is diminishing relative to a whole lifetime. In the first phase of life we should allow ourselves the freedom to focus on this and getting a good education. After 18 years of child-rearing, during which you’ve developed in all kinds of ways, you can devote yourself to a career. A comprehensive view like this will benefit society, creating happier, more relaxed people. But it won’t be happening just yet.”
When will it?
“Once the baby-boomers are gone. Then the urgency becomes real, because the responsibility for a functioning society will suddenly rest on the shoulders of a very small group of people. A large part of this group is already suffering from burn-outs, because it’s incredibly hard to raise kids and move up the career ladder at the same time – whatever the profession.”
So fewer women at architectural firms has mostly to do with having children?
“Yes. When a woman doesn’t have children, then the same rules apply as they do for men. Then she can put all her energy into her career, without anything holding her back.”
But how can it be that young fathers do continue to work at architectural firms?
“Because they are men. Of course, they also have a caregiving role, but they do not get pregnant, give birth or breastfeed. We women can more or less act as though we don’t have children, at least if we are lucky with our partners. Yet, if we were to feel prouder about being a woman, then we would simply invest more time in that busy, early phase of life. We’d have children first and then later invest the time in our career.”
Take more time. Is that your advice for working mothers?
“Yes. Motherhood is the most beautiful thing in the world. When I think about it, it’s such a shame that I didn’t allow myself the space and time to enjoy it because of my own notions about needing to prove myself at work. I was just on the go all the time. But it’s not healthy, and it’s also not necessary. It’ll happen later. We women need to – calmly and confidently – establish our position. I decided a while ago that I would no longer work on projects that require me to be away from home for more than one night. This was a very conscious choice, and it means that I cannot take on any projects in China, for example.”
My column Ms. Architect is primarily intended to give a platform to female architects. I feel they are less visible. For example, many people don’t know that you are a full partner at KAAN Architecten. Everyone thinks that the office is run by Kees Kaan. How do you feel about that?
“It’s really annoying. I’ve recently realized that a public presence is actually an important part of my job. If I want to be a role model for young women, then I need to step up and become visible. I also don’t want my work to be ascribed to someone else. This means I need to work on getting seen, but I find that tricky. I really just want to work on my projects, give them my full attention and ensure that we achieve quality. And all this should not suffer from efforts to increase visibility.”
What does quality in architecture mean to you?
“That I take the skill and professionalism of our discipline very seriously, at all levels. As an architect I create spaces, but before I get there I have to examine what really needs to happen from a multitude of perspectives. I only start once I fully understand the needs of the client and users. There’s a big difference between what people think they want and what they actually need.
Ultimately, I want a building to last, and to bond with users by making it so innately attractive to their needs that they will continue to explore and experience the building. I want them to have a relationship with the spaces and materials that make up the building. As an architect it’s important to be able to visualize this. The biggest compliment I can get when a building is completed is when clients and users tell me: we never could have imagined it this beautiful.”
What do you think is the current state of quality in Dutch architecture?
“The discipline of architecture in the Netherlands is lacking leadership and vision at the moment. There seems to be a misguided view among many clients that you can call up an architect to get them to design a pretty picture. But that is a fallacy. Architecture is so much more complex, in both the design and the execution of projects. We as a community have unfortunately allowed this to happen. Now it’s a constant struggle to achieve quality. In a few years, when Floris [Alkemade] has finished his mandate, and after I’ve completed two large-scale projects, I would love to take on the role of Chief Government Architect.”
What would you be able to do as Chief Government Architect to raise the level of quality in Dutch architecture?
“During the recession we still had the DBFMOs. They had their disadvantages, but the collective priority of creating a building based on sustainable quality was good. Now that the market is restored, making money has become the priority and creating a building that lasts is less important. Now a building has to be ‘circular’, which means nothing more than ‘easy to demolish’. I can accept the mechanisms of the market, but not that municipalities and other governing authorities have lost the capacity to develop visions.”
I’ve spoken to a lot of architects who long for a return of the climate 20 years ago, when young architects in the Netherlands had much more access to opportunities.
“Yes, a lot of young architects have a chance to develop their skills then, thanks to the regulated Dutch housing market. But they didn’t really have access to the big projects, with the exception of a few. I think it’s presumptuous for young architects to think they have the right to design a big complex just after graduating. You need to have a lot of experience to do that. Fortunately, experience grows automatically, that is, if you work on developing your skills and talent. Architecture is about understanding the client, managing processes, designing details and building the actual structure. Quality means you strive for perfection in all these aspects.”
What would you still like to achieve as an architect?
“A building that will stand for centuries. Many developers write off a building after fifteen years. In this context, I could create seven buildings in a century. But I’m not interested in numbers, only in quality. The French writer Marguerite Yourcenar inspires me, for example. She rewrote and rewrote the same book until it was perfect. I ask myself in my work: when have I captured the essence? If I want to design a building that will stand the test of time, its quality needs to be at 100%.”
Merel Pit is the founder of A.ZINE, initiator of Ms. Architect (Mevr. De Architect) column and a 2019 Quarterly Winner of Fleur Groenendijk Foundation. As a board member of the Foundation, Dikkie Scipio writes in response to the chosen winners, and her follow-up on Merel’s win can be found here.
Photographs by Inga Powilleit.
Explore the full photo report of the ongoing construction from a recent visit to the New Amsterdam Courthouse building site.
Located in the south of Amsterdam, the new Courthouse building has been steadily progressing since topping out in 2019.
The facade glazing is being mounted, nearly closing up the building. On the inside rough finishes have been put in, as well as natural stone wall cladding.
KAAN Architecten is undertaking works for the New Amsterdam Courthouse as part of a consortium which includes Macquarie Corporate Holdings Ltd., ABT, DVP, Heijmans and Facilicom.
Photography by Sebastian van Damme.
This January marked the two year anniversary of starting the renovation and extension of Paleis Het Loo. During the past year, major progress has been made in the Bassecourt, which was excavated to make room for the new entrance facilities and exhibition spaces.
The deepest point of the construction pit has been reached and concrete was poured and cured underwater to make sure the structure is without tears or leaks. Following that process, first walls of the underground facilities have been raised.
Watch below the recap of the past two years, or click here to keep up with the ongoing video series following the construction progress.
Featured image by Sebastian van Damme.
As a part of their Masters of Architecture series, the Italian publishing house Hachette has dedicated an issue to the work of KAAN Architecten.
The publication traces the history of the office through milestone projects, most notably revisiting the Netherlands Embassy in Mozambique, Supreme Court of The Netherlands, as well as the UTOPIA library in Aalst and the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Terminal.
The Masters of Architecture series of illustrated monographs features the works and protagonists of contemporary architecture, including among others UN Studio, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Foster+Partners, Studio Liebeskind and Zaha Hadid Architects.
The issue is available in Italian only, and can be purchased online or on newsstands across Italy. Get your copy here!
Vast cultivated landscape surrounding the Crematorium Siesegem in Aalst is captured in mesmerizing drone photos by Marcel IJzerman.
Nestled in the landscape designed by Erik Dhont, the crematorium building is a comforting sequence of spaces in symbiotic relationship with its surroundings. Its calm, easily readable environment and tranquil landscape merge together to emanate genuine serenity. This cohesive relationship between the building and the nature is essential, and it became even stronger when the final form of the new landscape expressed its full potential after a few seasons.
Trees and shrubs line the perimeter while the crematorium is situated in the middle, with a footprint of 74 by 74 meters. The surrounding greenery is envisioned as an extension of the crematorium space and is an important part of the funeral ceremony.
Upon arrival, undulating hills emerge from the ground among the parking areas, while a dynamic landscape spreads to the east articulated by natural flora development on the sloping topography. The hills for scattering the ashes and the urn garden rise along the northern facade, bringing the landscape into the ceremonial proceedings.
Photgraphs by Marcel IJzerman.
KAAN Architecten will participate in the 2019 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB) with FLOWCITY, a 24-screen immersive video installation documenting the era of new mobility, urban infrastructure and transport hubs.
FLOWCITY visualizes how we operate as collective space makers. The video traces the evolution of the new Terminal – from a winning competition entry through several phases of development, towards the current design decisions. The vast quantity of data, collected over the past three years, is quantified over time to illustrate the progressive and fluid nature of its design. The reflection on the quantity of stored data includes the prediction of the movement of people within the new terminal and the constant exchange of information between the different flows: workers, travellers and visitors.
FLOWCITY video has been designed by RNDR with OPENRNDR software, and commissioned by KAAN Architecten.
The Bi-City Biennale will open its doors to the public on December 21st, 2019 at the new Futian high-speed Railway Station and at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning. If you wish to know more about the 2019 Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB) please visit the official website.
The sixth issue of the photo series by photographer Dominique Panhuysen has been published. The series follows the New Amsterdam Courthouse construction site and building process.
This latest edition chronicles June throughout October 2019 during which the highest point of the building has been reached. Meanwhile, the facade glazing is being mounted, nearly closing up the building. On the inside rough finishes have been put in, as well as natural stone wall cladding.
KAAN Architecten is undertaking works for the New Amsterdam Courthouse as part of a consortium which includes Macquarie Corporate Holdings Ltd., ABT, DVP, Heijmans and Facilicom.
Explore the design here or browse the full photo report here.
Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat Hauts-De-France has been nominated for the prestigious Équerre d’Argent award in the category Activities.
Out of over 200 applications, the jury comprised of editors of Le Moniteur and AMC nominated 20 projects, divided into five categories. On Monday, 25 November at the Arab World Institute in Paris, each nominated project will be presented to the jury and the winner of each category will be announced.
Find out more here.
Photograph by Sebastian van Damme.
Paris La Défense has appointed five international offices to compete in reimagining of the vast space beneath the Esplanade of Axe historique, including the iconic ‘la Cathedrale’ located in the heart of the La Défense business district.
Besides KAAN Architecten, offices in the running include Baukunst, Emilio Tuñón, Lacaton & Vassal, and Tezuka Architects in association with Ciel Rouge Création. This selection was made based on relevance of previous work as well as the strength and multi-disciplinarity of skills.
Photography by Cyrille Weiner
Through a competitive dialogue process, Paris La Défense intends to enhance the 20,000 m² of underground space beneath the district. The competing firms will have several months to propose both a long-term vision necessary for the completion of this complex project, as well as more immediate first interventions to reveal these hidden spaces.
Photography by Cyrille Weiner
At the end of the dialogue in early 2020, Paris La Défense will choose the team that will make ‘la Cathedrale’ and its contiguous volumes a real urban experience, unusual and original, driven by its aesthetic DNA and an atypical programmatic ambition.
Historically, the platform of Paris La Défense was designed to separate the functions for the users of the district from technical or logistical purposes, leaving thousands of square meters unexploited with ceiling heights often reaching up to 15 meters.
Find out more information here.
The fifth edition of De Meester event and prize ceremony took place last Wednesday, 30 October at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The jury led by Dikkie Scipio crowned De Meester 2019 winner Ruud van Leeuwen and his project ‘From Hammerbrook to Hammerstadt’.
An impressive panel of judges, praised Ruud’s ‘extensive, refreshingly illustrated study in which all conceivable current questions, from sustainable mobility to decentralised waste processing, ecology, water and climate-proof living are answered in an ambitious way.’
Organized by the Fleur Groenendijk Foundation in collaboration with Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design, De Meester award aims to highlight and promote work of young architecture graduates in the Netherlands, giving them a platform to present themselves to larger audiences and make a debut within the professional sphere.
This edition also marks the fifth and last year of Dikkie Scipio presiding as jury chairman for the award. During her tenure, she sought out to highlight the work of recent graduates that shows social and contextual relevance, craftsmanship, and a clear vision.
Explore the winning project here.
Photographs of the event by Rhalda Jansen Photography.
