architect, verb: The New Language of Building

Talk + networking reception: Monday, 11 September 6.25-8:15pm

The new language of building: how to build creative, innovative, sustainable, liveable, beautiful spaces fostering a sense of place and wellbeing.
Leading architect Reinier de Graaf punctures the myths behind the debates on contemporary architecture. Architecture, it seems, has become too important to leave to architects. No longer does it suffice to judge a building solely by its appearance, it must be measured, and certified. What remains of a discipline when it is reduced to ticking boxes of Excellence', 'Sustainability', 'Well-being', 'Liveability', 'Placemaking', 'Creativity', 'Beauty' and 'Innovation'?

In his brand new book for Verso, architect, verb: The New Language of Building, de Graaf dryly skewers the doublespeak and hot air of an industry in search of an identity in the 21st century. Who determines how to measure a ‘green building’? Why is Vancouver more 'liveable' than Vienna? How do developers get away with advertising their buildings as promoting 'well-being'? Why did Silicon Valley become so obsessed with devising 'creative' spaces or developing code that replaces architects? How much revenue can be attributed to the design of public space? Who gets to decide what these measurements should be, and what do they actually mean? And what does it mean for the future of our homes, cities, planet?

Reinier de Graaf (1964, Schiedam) is a Dutch architect and writer. He is a partner in the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), where he leads projects in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Reinier is the co-founder of OMA's think-tank AMO and Sir Arthur Marshall Visiting Professor of Urban Design at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Four Walls and a Roof: The Complex Nature of a Simple Profession and the novel The Masterplan. He lives in Amsterdam.

This event includes a complimentary networking reception with the speaker and audience members following the talk.