11/01 Cooperation ArchitecturalDesign and MSc2 RMIT TU Delft on Rietveld@Rietveld

Project: Rietveld Academy Amsterdam, research and intervention (foto at the NAI in Rotterdam)

In this design course you learn to do research and recognise the architectural and cultural values of the existing buildings in the urban context. A design for redevelopment of a building complex needs preconditions from an architectural historical point of view to respond to certain demands of aesthetics, building technology and function.

The institution for fine arts and design located in Amsterdam is founded in 1924 after a fusion of three older art academies. In the 1960s Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld designed a new, more functional building for the institute. Gerrit Rietveld died quite some years before the realisation of the building and to honour its architect, the academy was renamed in 1968 to Gerrit Rietveld Academie.

At this present moment the academy needs more functional space. The intention to move to a bigger building, like the former GAK-building, wasn’t continued last year. The academy stays at her current location, but needs an extension. The theme of this extension will be ‘connecting and meeting’. The monumentality of the building, the technological problems of the building climate, the artist Gerrit Rietveld, the former intervention of Benthem Crouwel, densification and the urban context are aspects of study. We have a combination of studios of Architectural Design of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam and MSc2 RMIT TU Delft. The kick off of this combined studio will be in the afternoon of Monday 11 January at the NAi, Rotterdam and will continue in February.