29 April 2019 – One weekend ago, the daily newspaper De Volkskrant published an interview about the position of architecture in The Netherlands. The conversation with journalist Sander van Walsum was acute. We focussed on the way architects approach the tradition of their profession. I asserted that, perhaps because of the success of Dutch modernism, the debate has become introspective. Important European tendencies have not been picked up. The attention for something like the everyday comfort of our habitat suffers as a result.

I received many sorts of feedback, all of which were positive. To me, the actualisation of the architectonic tradition is no new theme:

. Column ‘Dutch Dilemma’, in Architecture Today (download pdf);

. The essay ‘Dutch Traditions’, published in Yearbook Architecture in The Netherlands 2013-2014 (download pdf abreviated version, Dutch only);

. Column ‘Analogen’ on architectenweb.nl (link).

Interesting as well is the podcast of a conversation between Jonathan van het Reve and the author of the interview Sander van Walsum (link). I do hope that the interview adds to a nuanced debate about the architect’s profession.

 

(photo: Guus Dubbelman / Volkskrant)