Author Description

In the seventeen years since Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos established their studio in Amsterdam, they have continually pushed the boundaries of contemporary architecture, seeking new design practices and building solutions. With major projects recently completed or approaching completion in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Korea and the Netherlands, and with teaching appointments in Germany and the United States, UN Studio is creating some of the most innovative and respected work of their generation. When their Mercedes-Benz Museum opens in Stuttgart in 2006, it will cement the rise of one of Europe̕s most influential architecture practices. This is the complete monograph of UN Studio̕s output. From a live-work house based on a Möbius strip to radical infrastructure projects, such as bridges and transportation hubs, from power stations to museums, the practice has subtly, but profoundly, reinvented a number of standard building types and proposed radical new modes of collaboration in the digital age. The book presents concepts and buildings in detail from the generative diagram, through the digital modelling process, to construction and final outcome. Bookending the projects is a second essay which contemplates the role and representation of contemporary architecture in today's culture, offering new ways to generate interesting and meaningful images for architecture.