Dutch Style Week 2015: Dutch furnishings designer Piet Hein Eek has joined the debate about whether or not non-architects should design buildings, saying most architects are “not interested” in construction.
Eek, who is presently functioning on a quantity of architectural projects in the Netherlands, explained a lot of architects do minor more than create drawings and leave other folks to work out how to build them.
Piet Hein Eek spent 10 many years renovating an previous mill in France’s Dordogne region into a pair of vacation residences
“I think most architects are in fact not architects, due to the fact most buildings are drawings which are filled in by engineers trying to obtain the drawing of the architect,” he informed Dezeen. “So they are not interested in terms of building.”
“I will not mind if I insult architects,” he extra.
Dezeen met Eek at his Eindhoven workshop – a former Philips ceramics factory in the city’s Strijp R district, converted by the designer in 2010. The consequence attracted requests to collaborate on additional architectural tasks.
The old mill is the first finished task by the sister firm to Piet Hein Eek’s design studio
In response the designer set up Piet Hein Eek Architecture in January 2015 in partnership with Iggy Dekkers – an architect who’d misplaced her job for the duration of the economic downturn right after becoming informed she “created architecture like a designer”.
In addition to renovating an outdated mill in France’s Dordogne region into a pair of vacation residences, Eek’s architectural offshoot has redeveloped two disused industrial buildings in Strijp R – in walking distance from the designer’s personal workshop.
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The most recent of these is the RAG building – a former pump property which has been converted into 10 apartments. The designer purposefully retained the building’s original construction, maintaining its distinguishing industrial components and constructing a central “pathway” with apartments arranged both side.
“The RAG building has a good deal of specifics that are very different from common procedures in architecture, but the building is already there so you cannot use the regular all of the time, you have to adjust to the developing,” said Eek.
The previous mill complicated stands in an idyllic rural setting and features a massive veranda overlooking the river
“I try out to highlight the top quality. The distinction amongst most architects is that we consider to be productive and pragmatic with what’s offered, and the other point is that we like the complete method.”
“A lot of the redevelopments are really wonderful as extended as it truly is well done with respect for the old creating,” he added. “As soon as the architects attempt to do something wonderful that is the factor we consider to get rid of quickly right after it truly is delivered, you know, simply because they need to have to do anything particular.”
Eek’s partner Dekkers took accountability for promoting the properties herself – in line with the practice’s “total procedure” philosophy.
Piet Hein Eek’s extension intends to meld with the stonework of the previous mill in France’s Dordogne area
All of the RAG apartments were offered just before renovation started, meaning prospective buyers created purchases with only orange strings to mark out the proposed floor strategies. The studio then worked with the potential inhabitants to customise the apartment layouts.
“You build for somebody but they are not concerned in the building. It truly is completely idiotic,” commented the designer, who informed Dezeen his method to architecture is much more collaborative – enabling each developers and residents the opportunity to contribute to the notion.
Eek also rejects the notion of renderings, explaining that a preceding profitable pitch for a undertaking relied on sketches that had been finished in just 10 hours.
Piet Ein Eek’s most current venture is the RAG building, which is at the moment underneath building
“We just organically build a massive building,” he stated. “As an architect you want to make a creating, and we say we do not want to make that creating. We want other individuals to do their point and we consider care of the infrastructure and facilitate people’s dreams, and which is exceptionally wonderful.”
Piet Hein Eek Architecture is currently in the running for what Eek referred to as “the largest task in Eindhoven at the moment”, even though specifics are still underneath wraps.
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Eek isn’t the only designer who’s made ventures into the world of architecture. Thomas Heatherwick – who claimed creating a building is “specifically the exact same” as designing a Christmas card – is making a Maggie’s care centre in Yorkshire, England.
Other designers-turned-architects include Karim Rashid, who has developed a seven-storey structure in New York, and Nendo founder Oki Sato, who is working on a buying centre, station and series of private houses.
The RAG developing is a former pump home that has been converted into ten apartments
Dror Benshetrit, founder of Studio Dror, not too long ago induced heated debate in the Dezeen remarks part when he claimed that there was no want to be an architect to be capable of developing buildings.
Eek also believes the motion of designers towards architecture is inevitable, citing architects’ lack of method.
“It’s not odd at all and these days it isn’t going to even make a distinction since most architects won’t do something in terms of method – they have engineers to really see if it is possible,” he told Dezeen.
“We’re fairly severe simply because we truly consider about the specifics of the flooring, the thickness and the concrete and steel, and we consider to solve all those particulars, because we consider that it is important that all these are taken care of in a way we like.”
Eek’s studio worked with the potential inhabitants to customise the apartment layouts at RAG
He also attributes his architectural success in component to his ability to consider “absolutely freely” about the dilemma and the answer.
“I never like regular,” he informed Dezeen. “If things are standard, I get irritated. If somebody says I make it like this because I always do it, which is a good deal of the buildings now. They do it, and every single time they do it stupid.”
“I would say if it really is stupid try and do it again following time far better simply because then you can generate a greater common.”
Architectural photography is by Thomas Mayer.
