荷蘭梅卡諾建筑設(shè)計(jì)事務(wù)所

荷蘭梅卡諾建筑設(shè)計(jì)事務(wù)所

簡介

1984年正式成立于代爾夫特的梅卡諾公司擁有160多名包括建筑師、室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)師、城市規(guī)劃師、景觀設(shè)計(jì)師和建筑工程師在內(nèi)的富有創(chuàng)造性的跨學(xué)科專業(yè)團(tuán)隊(duì)，在公司創(chuàng)立人法蘭馨·荷本（Francine Houben）的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下工作。

梅卡諾事務(wù)所的30年

30多年豐富的經(jīng)驗(yàn)積累加上清晰的設(shè)計(jì)流程，保證了梅卡諾的設(shè)計(jì)能夠達(dá)到較高的技術(shù)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，認(rèn)真處理每一個(gè)細(xì)節(jié)。跨學(xué)科團(tuán)隊(duì)合作開發(fā)保證了設(shè)計(jì)從一開始就著眼整體開發(fā)，豐富的設(shè)計(jì)理念與最先進(jìn)的可持續(xù)發(fā)展工程技術(shù)相結(jié)合，可以以最實(shí)際的方式滿足客戶與用戶對建筑設(shè)計(jì)的要求。梅卡諾的工作已經(jīng)得到了建筑界的廣泛認(rèn)同。

創(chuàng)造與創(chuàng)新

梅卡諾——以1898年發(fā)明的英國建筑模型套裝玩具命名的建筑事務(wù)所——因?yàn)槁固氐な兄行牡纳鐣?huì)住房項(xiàng)目提交了一份創(chuàng)新性中標(biāo)設(shè)計(jì)方案，而于1984年在競標(biāo)過程中誕生。從那時(shí)起，公司不斷發(fā)展，不斷開發(fā)多樣化業(yè)務(wù)，其設(shè)計(jì)項(xiàng)目包括住宅、社區(qū)、摩天大樓、城市規(guī)劃、圍墾地項(xiàng)目、學(xué)校、劇院、圖書館、酒店、博物館，甚至教堂等。

人、地點(diǎn)、目的

根據(jù)項(xiàng)目的具體要求和背景找到意想不到的解決方案是梅卡諾建筑事務(wù)所的一項(xiàng)最有挑戰(zhàn)性的工作。每個(gè)項(xiàng)目都在充分考慮其文化背景、地理位置和時(shí)間特點(diǎn)的基礎(chǔ)上進(jìn)行設(shè)計(jì)。因此，每個(gè)項(xiàng)目都根據(jù)其背景及專門針對用戶需求而精心設(shè)計(jì)。事務(wù)所設(shè)立了多個(gè)知識中心，保證了梅卡諾能在可持續(xù)性、生態(tài)工程技術(shù)、教育與學(xué)習(xí)和高層建筑等方面站在技術(shù)設(shè)計(jì)創(chuàng)新的最前沿。梅卡諾注重設(shè)計(jì)過程、咨詢、環(huán)境研究、城市規(guī)模以及綜合可持續(xù)的設(shè)計(jì)策略，而不僅僅是形式。因此，其設(shè)計(jì)的作品具有獨(dú)特的文化內(nèi)涵，閃耀著人性的光芒。

國際化

梅卡諾有來自世界各地的專業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)人員，而且把事務(wù)所當(dāng)作實(shí)驗(yàn)室，由其國際化的設(shè)計(jì)師團(tuán)隊(duì)提出并落實(shí)最前衛(wèi)的建筑創(chuàng)意。其動(dòng)力之源是該事務(wù)所多元文化資源和來自各種文化背景、各有所長的設(shè)計(jì)人員，正是他們，在全球各地從嚴(yán)苛的設(shè)計(jì)要求中梳理出出人意料的設(shè)計(jì)方案。

組織

協(xié)助事務(wù)所創(chuàng)立合伙人兼創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)法蘭馨·荷本管理事務(wù)所的人員包括：技術(shù)總監(jiān)/合伙人Aart Fransen、執(zhí)行總監(jiān)Peter Haasbroek和建筑師/合伙人Francesco Veenstra、Ellen van der Wal、Paul Ketelaars和Dick van Gameren等。梅卡諾建立了專門的質(zhì)量管理體系，保證整個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)以一致、專業(yè)的態(tài)度從事設(shè)計(jì)工作，明確團(tuán)隊(duì)成員各自的責(zé)任，向客戶提供一整套便于管理的設(shè)計(jì)程序和步驟。該體系已經(jīng)通過了ISO 9001：2008認(rèn)證，以保證設(shè)計(jì)和施工質(zhì)量達(dá)到最高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

梅卡諾的歷史

事務(wù)所于1984年在荷蘭代爾夫特成立，至今已有30多年的歷史并積累的豐富的集體經(jīng)驗(yàn)。事務(wù)所由創(chuàng)立合伙人兼創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)法蘭馨·荷本、技術(shù)總監(jiān)Aart Fransen、財(cái)務(wù)總監(jiān)Peter Haasbroek以及合伙人Francesco Veenstra、Ellen van der Wal、Paul Ketelaars和Dick van Gameren等人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。

歐德代爾夫特 203號

這座建筑的歷史可以追溯到1536年，那一年整個(gè)建筑的木結(jié)構(gòu)被燒毀，只剩下石頭砌成的地窖，保存至今，而現(xiàn)在則開了一家酒鋪。被一條狹長的小巷隔開的兩座石房建于目前梅卡諾公司大樓所在位置。1750年，這兩幢房子被連起來，成了一座貴族私宅。

整棟 建筑的內(nèi)外全部由意大利建筑師Bollina重新設(shè)計(jì)翻新。面向運(yùn)河的一面整飭一新，原先最高的一層改造成為框架結(jié)構(gòu)，有五個(gè)窗戶?，F(xiàn)在只有從房子的寬度、高度和一樓地面高度等方面才能看到翻新的痕跡。這座建筑還有一條四十米長的大理石走廊（原先的小巷），把整幢建筑分成前后兩個(gè)部分（有前門和后門），中間是一道樓梯。樓梯、天花板和門都用灰泥粉飾，還有路易十四風(fēng)格的雕刻裝飾。

直到1886年，歐德代爾夫特203號一直是代爾夫特市顯貴的住宅。后來這座建筑和歐德代爾夫特205號一起出售，供已婚和未婚老年人居住。再后來，因?yàn)楫?dāng)?shù)匕l(fā)生了霍亂，這里開始收治病人，由比利時(shí)的教會(huì)組織Congregation Augustinessen的修女照料。

這家醫(yī)院在當(dāng)?shù)卦絹碓街匾?890年，Treub教授在這里完成了他平生第一次大手術(shù)。這座建筑不斷擴(kuò)大的建筑群后來被命名為“圣希玻里醫(yī)院”。

后來，歐德代爾夫特207號也被買下來了，1924年到1965年間，歐德代爾夫特203號和205后面的大花園里增加了更多設(shè)施。到上世紀(jì)六十年代，圣希玻里醫(yī)院遷往他處。

1970年，歐德代爾夫特203號、205號和207號均為建筑設(shè)計(jì)公司“OD 205”收購。后來這座建筑又經(jīng)過了多次改造，原先的醫(yī)院蹤影已無處可尋，只有一樓的小教堂保留下來，成了永久的紀(jì)念物，提醒人們這里曾有病人和照顧他們的修女。

1983年，歐德代爾夫特203號的一部分出租給不同的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)。梅卡諾當(dāng)時(shí)就占用了一間，現(xiàn)在是梅卡諾的“項(xiàng)目室”。1995年后，梅卡諾占據(jù)了整幢建筑。2007年的一場火災(zāi)之后，這座建筑進(jìn)行了翻新，在盡量保持原有結(jié)構(gòu)和具有歷史意義的內(nèi)涵基礎(chǔ)上，增加了許多現(xiàn)代化設(shè)施。過去的小教堂，現(xiàn)在還保持著原有特色的形狀，只是用作會(huì)議室和“展覽室”，里面陳列著梅卡諾最有名的項(xiàng)目模型。

十大主張

1. 土地是一種昂貴的商品

洛杉磯和東京之間的區(qū)別有目共睹。洛杉磯是座20世紀(jì)的城市，是專門為汽車設(shè)計(jì)的城市，留給汽車的空間也的確比給人的空間多，停車場的面積也比房屋占據(jù)的多。這里土地資源豐富，似乎根本不值錢。這一點(diǎn)，將在21世紀(jì)得以改變。東京是一個(gè)大都市，有成百上千萬人口居住，交通設(shè)施發(fā)達(dá)。

不管是地上還是地下，這里的每一平方米都精打細(xì)算，充分利用。土地非常昂貴，甚至比上面建造的房屋和建筑還要值錢。

荷蘭是一個(gè)人口密集而土地稀缺的國家。但同時(shí)因?yàn)橥恋貎r(jià)格過低，這個(gè)國家土地浪費(fèi)也很嚴(yán)重。我們必須找到明智的解決方案，比如重復(fù)利用土地，創(chuàng)造性地將基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施與建筑融合一體。

法蘭馨·荷本 Francine Houben photo： ? Mecanoo

梅卡諾事務(wù)所合伙人 Mecanoo Partners photo： ? Mecanoo

2. 熱愛大自然

荷蘭是世界上最有可塑性的國家，這里有風(fēng)，有水，有白云。荷蘭的地貌不是靜態(tài)的，變化無常卻又充滿具有鮮明對比的元素：有序和混亂，圍澤地和湖泊，運(yùn)河和濕地，堤壩和海灘，潮濕和干旱。如今的建造技術(shù)可以讓你隨心所欲，在哪里都可建房子。在這片土地上沒有任何限制，可塑性極強(qiáng)，甚至可以推倒一切重來。這里，大自然有著不可替代的價(jià)值和美，豐富多彩，物盡天華。碧水藍(lán)天，花草樹木，巖石，是你用之不盡的寶貴財(cái)富。這里的木材、竹林、礦藏盡可供你索取采用。

3. 共同承擔(dān)可持續(xù)發(fā)展責(zé)任

荷蘭是一個(gè)有著人人參與治水傳統(tǒng)的國家，所有人在水陸管理方面有著毫無爭議的共識，若不然，我們就會(huì)被淹死。

共同參與治水，可以說是這個(gè)國家有序發(fā)展的保證和前提。因?yàn)橹嗡畬ξ覀儊碚f生死攸關(guān)。

4. 發(fā)揮城市規(guī)劃的作用

我們似乎已經(jīng)忘記了城市規(guī)劃對我們的家居生活的意義。有車、有房、有花園似乎是我們現(xiàn)在的所有追求。

我們的社會(huì)有多種家庭結(jié)構(gòu)，多種文化，而且老齡化程度越來越高。

不斷發(fā)展的技術(shù)、通信與服務(wù)設(shè)施將給我們帶來很多有關(guān)住房、家庭護(hù)理、居家工作和娛樂等方面的創(chuàng)意。

汽車的普及要求城市規(guī)劃不斷整合和改進(jìn)，以免其占據(jù)和擾亂所有的公共空間。我們必須設(shè)計(jì)出像永恒的荷蘭別墅那樣的建筑和房屋，無論用途怎么改變，都能永葆魅力。

5. 迎接合作帶來的挑戰(zhàn)

那些在設(shè)計(jì)和施工方面互相合作且自由嘗試的人們極大推動(dòng)了建筑發(fā)展與進(jìn)步。

因?yàn)樵O(shè)計(jì)任務(wù)方面的變化，建筑師們的設(shè)計(jì)工作越來越依賴跨學(xué)科合作。為了在動(dòng)態(tài)中達(dá)到美感，我愿與道路和水利工程師，以及景觀設(shè)計(jì)師們合作。

這意味著可以在不忘建筑設(shè)計(jì)師的職責(zé)的前提下，在綜合規(guī)劃和施工過程中進(jìn)行水和其他材料方面的實(shí)驗(yàn)。

6. 既是導(dǎo)演，又是編劇

Van Nelle的工廠項(xiàng)目、Rietveld Schr?der的住宅項(xiàng)目和Mairea別墅項(xiàng)目是依靠客戶和建筑師之間富有創(chuàng)意的互動(dòng)而完成的創(chuàng)新設(shè)計(jì)經(jīng)典范例。

時(shí)代在變化，委托設(shè)計(jì)的方式越來越多，政府、開發(fā)商、投資商和消費(fèi)者之間的合作形式也越來越多。

建筑師們不再只是提供設(shè)計(jì)圖紙，而是在一個(gè)互動(dòng)性更強(qiáng)的過程中同時(shí)扮演導(dǎo)演和編劇的角色，他們需要通過設(shè)計(jì)創(chuàng)意、圖片展示、背景烘托、比例模型圖等各種方式發(fā)現(xiàn)客戶真正需要的是什么。

7. 書寫與語言

有關(guān)風(fēng)格的討論是很有意思的，但從長遠(yuǎn)而言，風(fēng)格不是根本問題。最好的例子是我們?yōu)楹Ｑ赖腁lvaro Siza開發(fā)的兩幢房子：其中的一幢我們采用了阿姆斯特丹學(xué)院派風(fēng)格，另一幢我們采用了新客觀主義風(fēng)格——這兩種風(fēng)格在二十世紀(jì)相互爭論，都認(rèn)為自己代表建筑的真正風(fēng)格。

這個(gè)項(xiàng)目的魅力在于我們結(jié)合了內(nèi)在與外在、輕與重、抽象與具體的設(shè)計(jì)風(fēng)格。風(fēng)格是一種已經(jīng)過時(shí)的概念。建筑需要一種書寫方式，可以根據(jù)不同的地點(diǎn)和設(shè)計(jì)要求用不同語言進(jìn)行書寫。

8. 留白的設(shè)計(jì)構(gòu)思

設(shè)計(jì)構(gòu)思沒有規(guī)則。規(guī)則讓我想起有關(guān)膳食方式的日語菜譜。我們摒棄明顯的幾何形狀和對稱性，是因?yàn)檫@種設(shè)計(jì)毫無靈感可言。

空間，或者說留白，是建筑設(shè)計(jì)的必要組成部分，決定著建筑的視覺節(jié)奏與優(yōu)雅。

對比形式之間的空間，如圓與方、長與短、大與小，都互相映襯，建筑設(shè)計(jì)中也概不例外。

9. 分析與直覺

你可以對任何事物進(jìn)行分析，但很多事情靠的是直覺。

大衛(wèi)·霍克尼的作品對我一直有很大的吸引力。我從他的作品中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種無拘無束、積極樂觀的生活態(tài)度和敢于在藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作中使用新技術(shù)的勇氣。

這種態(tài)度是一種動(dòng)力之源，形成了建筑實(shí)踐的合力。而分析與直覺的結(jié)合對建筑設(shè)計(jì)而言無比重要。

10. 外在與內(nèi)在的結(jié)合

查爾斯和蕾·伊默斯的天份在于能在一項(xiàng)解決方案中糅合技術(shù)、人性與游戲的成分。他們使用新材料設(shè)計(jì)椅子，然后在這一過程中發(fā)現(xiàn)其局限性。于是，他們從頭重新開始尋找新的解決方案。他們并非武斷的設(shè)計(jì)師，從來不會(huì)忽視作品的舒適性。他們是設(shè)計(jì)王國的無冕之王。他們的作品有一種永恒的價(jià)值，就是永遠(yuǎn)會(huì)給人以啟示。

他們的住所建于1949年，位于洛杉磯附近圣莫妮卡的美麗的小山中，掩映在一片桉樹林之后。這座建筑能讓你看到技術(shù)與直觀感受相結(jié)合會(huì)有何效果。建筑設(shè)計(jì)必須依賴其所有的感官，而不僅僅是一種智力、概念和視覺上的游戲。建筑設(shè)計(jì)是將所有不同的元素整合在一個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)理念中的過程。最后我們所能依賴的就是內(nèi)在與外在的結(jié)合。

photo： ? Harry Cock

photo： ? Harry Cock

Office lntroduction

Officially founded in Delft in 1984， Mecanoo is made up of a creative and multidisciplinary staff of over 160 professionals that includes architects， interior designers，urban planners， landscape architects， and architectural engineers. The practice is directed by founding architect， Francine Houben.

30 Years of Mecanoo

Extensive experience gained over more than 30 years， together with a clear planning process， allows for Mecanoo's designs to be realised with a high level of technical skill and great attention to detail. Approaching a project with a multidisciplinary team gives every project the opportunity to be explored and developed holistically from the outset； combining social design ideas with cutting edge technology in sustainability and engineering to deliver the most effective architectural response for both the client and user. Mecanoo's work has been widely honoured by the architectural community.

Creative and lnnovative

Mecanoo - named after the British model construction set invented in 1898 - was born out of an innovative winning design proposal for a competition in 1984 which proposed a flexible social housing project in the centre of Rotterdam. Since then the company has continued to grow and diversify， designing projects that range from houses， neighbourhoods， skyscrapers， cities， polders and schools to theatres， libraries， hotels， museums and even a chapel.

People， Place， Purpose

Discovering unexpected solutions for the specifics of program and context is the foremost challenge in all of Mecanoo's assignments. Each design is considered in terms of its cultural setting， place and time. As such， each project is treated as a unique design statement embedded within its context and orchestrated specifically for the people who use it. Within the practice are knowledge centres which enable Mecanoo to stay current on technological and design innovations in sustainability，eco-engineering， technology， education and learning， high-rise and mobility. Preoccupied not by a focus on form， but on process， consultation， context， urban scale and integrated sustainable design strategies， the practice creates culturally significant buildings with a human touch.

International

Mecanoo is comprised of design professionals from all over the world； and sees itself as a laboratory where cutting edge architectural ideas are developed and realised by an international team of designers. Fundamental to this dynamic is the multicultural wealth and complementary breadth of experience this diverse staff brings to bear in teasing out the potential that lies in challenging briefs， all over the world.

Organisation

Founding partner and creative director Francine Houben is assisted by technical director/partner Aart Fransen， executive director Peter Haasbroek， architects/partners Francesco Veenstra， Ellen van der Wal， Paul Ketelaars and Dick van Gameren. Mecanoo has developed a dedicated quality management system for the office， which warrants a consistent， professional approach， clearly defined responsibilities and gives clients the assurance of a manageable set of processes and procedures. This system is ISO 9001：2008 certified and ensures that the highest standard of design and quality is achieved.

History Mecanoo

Mecanoo， officially founded in Delft in 1984， is made up of a highly multidisciplinary staff of over 160 creative professionals from 25 countries. The team includes architects， engineers， interior designers， urban planners， landscape architects and architectural technicians.

The company is led by its original founding architect and creative director， Francine Houben， technical director Aart Fransen and financial director Peter Haasbroek， who are joined by partners Francesco Veenstra， Ellen van der Wal， Paul Ketelaars and Dick van Gameren.

The extensive collective experience， gained over three decades， results in designs that are realised with technical expertise and great attention to detail. Mecanoo's projects range from single houses to complete neighbourhoods and skyscrapers， cities and polders， schools， theatres and libraries， hotels， museums， and even a chapel.

Discovering unexpected solutions for the specifics of programme and context is the foremost challenge in all of our assignments. Each design is considered in terms of its cultural setting， place and time. As such， Mecanoo treats each project as a unique design statement embedded within its context and orchestrated specifically for the people who use it.

Within the practice are knowledge centres which enable us to stay current on technological and design innovations in sustainability， eco-engineering， technology， education and learning， high-rise and mobility.

Preoccupied not by a focus on form， but on process， consultation， context， urbanscale and integrated sustainable design strategies， the practice creates culturally significant buildings with a human touch.

Oude Delft 203

The history of the building dates back to 1536 when the wooden buildings burned down. Only its stone cellars， which now hold a wine shop， were saved. Two stone houses separated by a narrow alley were built where the Mecanoo building now stands. In 1750 the two houses were joined together， creating a patrician home.

Both the interior and the exterior were completely re-designed by the Italian architect Bollina. The building was given a beautiful face on the canal by changing the original topmost level and creating a large framed story with five windows. Only the variations in width， height and the level of the ground floor are still visible. The building also got a forty-meter long marble corridor （the former alley）that divides the building from the front to the back door， and a central staircase. Staircase， ceilings and doors are decorated with stucco and carved in the style of Louis XIV.

Until 1886， the Oude Delft 203 was inhabited by leading Delft citizens. The building along with Oude Delft 205 were then sold. It became a guesthouse for the married and unmarried elderly. Later， because of a cholera epidemic， the building took on patients who are cared for by nuns of the Congregation Augustinessen in Belgium. The hospital occupied an increasingly important role， and in 1890 professor Treub performed his first major operation. The rapidly expanding complex was named ‘St. Hippolytus' Hospital'.

Oude Delft 207 was purchased and between 1924 and 1965 in the large garden behind Oude Delft 203 and 205， more facilities were added. At the end of sixties， St. Hippolytus Hospital moved.

In 1970， Oude Delft 203， 205 and 207 were sold to the architects ‘OD 205'. There followed many conversions， and the remaining traces of the hospital disappeared. Only the chapel on the first floor was preserved and is a permanent reminder of the patients and their sisters.

In 1983， a part of the Oude Delft 203 was rented to different business start-ups. Mecanoo settled in a back room， what is now the ‘project room'. From 1995 on， Mecanoo has taken up the entire building. After a fire in 2007， the building was renovated and modernized with great respect for the existing structure and historically listed interior. The chapel of the past still has its characteristic shape and now serves as a meeting and ‘show room' for the most remarkable Mecanoo project models.

Ten Statements

1. Land as an expensive commodity

The difference between Los Angeles and Tokyo is obvious to everyone. Los Angeles， the city of the twentieth century， is designed for cars， which are literally given more room than people are. There are more square metres of car parks than of built-up areas. There is an abundance of land and it is almost valueless. This is bound to change in the twenty-first century. Tokyo is a gigantic village of millions of people and public transport.

Every square metre has been thought about and put to use， above and below ground. Land is very expensive， even more expensive than the houses and buildings that stand on it.

The Netherlands is a country with a high population density and a shortage of land. At the same time it is the country that wastes its land because the price of land is much too low. We have to search for intelligent solutions such as dual use of land，inventive combinations of infrastructure and building.

2. Love of nature

The Netherlands， the most malleable country in the world. The land of water， wind and clouds. The Dutch landscape is not static， but it is changeable with contrasting ingredients： order and chaos， polders and lakes， canals and wetlands， dykes and river forelands， wet and dry. With the help of engineers you can build everywhere.

There are no limits， the land is so malleable that you can destroy it too. Nature has an irreplaceable value and beauty， many colours， materials and textures. I want to draw on the wealth of water， skies， trees and leaves， grass， stones and rocks. I use materials like wood， bamboo， zinc， copper， concrete， glass and steel in compositions full of contrasts.

3. Collective responsibility for sustainability

The Netherlands is a country with a very strong tradition in the field of collective responsibility for the management of the water. Unambiguous agreements regulate the land and the water - literally， because otherwise we would all drown.

The collective responsibility for water management should be extended to a collective responsibility for the sustainability of how the country is ordered. After all， that too is a question of the survival of us all.

4. Wealth of urban planning

photo： ? Harry Cock

photo： ? Harry Cock

It is as if we have forgotten the wealth of urban planning possibilities for housing.The house with a garden and a car in front seems to be the greatest good on earth at the moment.

Society consists of very diverse types of family and an ageing population， and it is multicultural.

The steadily expanding potential of technology， communication and services will become part of new ideas about housing and care and homes for work and recreation too. The acquisition of mobility， the car， calls for integration in new urban planning typologies without dominating or disrupting the public space. We must design buildings and houses that， like the time-hallowed Dutch villas， can stand up to the big changes in use and beauty.

5. Cooperation as challenge

Interesting developments in architecture are produced by those who manage to create the freedom to experiment and to work together within the fragmented practice of design and building.

As a result of changes in the design assignments， architects increasingly carry out their profession in collaboration with other disciplines. In order to achieve the aesthetic of mobility， I want to work with road and hydraulic engineers and landscape architects. This means experimenting with combined programmes， constructions， water and materials， but emphatically without the loss of the architect's own role and responsibility. 6. Director and script writer

The Van Nelle factory， the Rietveld Schr?der house and Villa Mairea are traditional examples of innovative architecture resulting from an inspiring relation between client and architect.

Times have changed and the placing of commissions has become more diffuse，consisting of forms of association between the government， property developers，investors and consumers.

The architect no longer supplies the design alone. The architect performs the role of director and script writer in a more hybrid process. The architect tries to find out what the client really wants by means of ideas， images， atmospheres， scale models and drawings.

7. Handwriting and language

Discussion about style is interesting， but not essential in the long run. The best example of this is the composition of two houses that we developed for Alvaro Siza in The Hague： one in the style of the Amsterdam School， the other in the style of Neue Sachlichkeit - two styles that competed with one another in the Twenties and each thought it was the true one.

The beauty of the project lies in the combination of introverted and extroverted，heavy and light， tactile and abstract. Style is an outdated phenomenon. Architecture needs a handwriting that can write in different languages in order to be able to respond adequately to each location and assignment.

8. Composition of empty space

There are no rules for making a composition. The most I can do is to refer to a Japanese book describing the rules for arranging and serving a meal. Working with unambiguous geometry and symmetry is strictly prohibited because it is not exciting. Space， or rather empty space， is an essential part of composition， rhythm and elegance. The space between contrasting forms， round and square， long and short， big and small， brings out each form better， and this is true in architecture as well.

9. Analysis and intuition

You can try to analyse everything， but a lot is just a question of intuition.

The work of David Hockney has always appealed to me. I detect a non-dogmatic， optimistic attitude to life in his work， and the courage to experiment in art with new techniques.

An attitude like that is a source of energy and resilience within the complex force field of architectural practice. And the combination of analysis with intuition is worth its weight in gold for architecture.

10. Arrangement of form and emotion

Charles and Ray Eames were able to combine technical， human and playful aspects in a single solution. They experimented with new materials for their chairs and discovered their limitations as they went along. That led them to look for new solutions all over again. They were designers without dogmatism， and never lost sight of comfort. They are the uncrowned king and queen of arrangement. Their work has a permanent inspiring value.

Their house was built in 1949 in the hills of Santa Monica near Los Angeles， in a beautiful situation behind the eucalyptus trees. It shows what happens when you combine the technical with the sensorial. Architecture must appeal to all the senses and is never a purely intellectual， conceptual or visual game alone. Architecture is about combining all of the individual elements in a single concept. What counts in the last resort is the arrangement of form and emotion.

Mecanoo architecten， the Netherlands

photo： ? Harry Cock

photo： ? Harry Cock