An hour north of Rotterdam, Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos lead the 45-person UN Studio, founded in 1998. With a partner's declaration that "the box is dead," they have built a network of researchers and specialists focused on architecture, urban development, and infrastructure, aiming to create projects that integrate brief, construction, infrastructure, circulation, form, and space. Their Erasmus Bridge, a sinuous roadway suspended from a single pylon, has become a symbol of modern Rotterdam. The science center for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh features a Euclidean grid of beams and columns, described by van Berkel as "a sock being pulled back on itself." Following the success of their three-volume publication Move, UN Studio seeks new perspectives with UNFOLd. This work includes documentation of recent projects and a critical examination of previously unpublished designs, such as the Arnhem station area, a generating station in Innsbruck, a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance laboratory in Utrecht, and the winning design for Ponte Parodi in Genoa. With a personal touch, UNFOLd immerses readers in the firm's design process through texts by Bos and innovative architectural photography.
Mark Wigley Book order (chronological)
January 1, 1956
Mark Wigley is an influential voice in architectural theory, exploring the intricate relationship between architecture, fashion, and desire. His writings delve into how modern architecture is shaped by aesthetic and cultural forces, often examining the critical underpinnings of deconstruction. Wigley's work encourages a reevaluation of architectural practices through a lens of critical theory and cultural commentary.
