Architype Dialogue presents
Oliver Thill & André Kempe
What was the most difficult issue about working within this project type or the most unexpected challenge that may have influenced new thought in your design?
As architects we mostly work for public or private clients and are not used to realize works in real public space. We were amazed on how many meetings we had to attend and how many people we had to convince to be able to realize this relatively small project.
Did this project expand or evolve your role as an architect or designer in any way? In general, do you feel that the role of the designer is changing on current projects?
This project was started up by an initiative of the Rotterdam Rotary club and we won a small competition to realize the theatre pavilion. In a later stage the local administration decided to renovate the whole surrounding and we got involved in the design of the piazza and received the commission to build a new small bicycle bridge as well. For both project we worked on basis of a full commission. From our point of view this is the best way to guaranty proper execution.
How is your project possible today in a way that it may not have been before and how have trends in technology and society inspired new thought and solutions?
The project is developed to stimulate a much more intense use of the urban public space. The people of the local municipality realized that the quality of the urban space is influencing in a direct way the quality of live in the city. The theatre pavilion is part of a series of projects to strengthen the quality of public space in Rotterdam.
In the context of this project, how is your studio and design process being influenced by current trends in academic curricula and incoming young architects? In turn, how are current projects and processes guiding the ongoing reformulation and development of academic curricula?
It’s hard to make a direct connection between your question and your project.
Architype Review thanks Oliver Thill & André Kempe for their interview and for contributing to this collection of Architype Dialogue.