KEEPING IT REAL&nbsp;First up: Harshdeep Arora aka prspctivs, an architect from India, who has worked in Delhi, Shanghai and Beijing for renowned firms like UNStudio, Buro Ole Scheeren, Plasma Studio, DADA Partners and AECOM.&nbsp; He’s currently working as a part-time senior architect consultant at CHAP (Cook Haffner Architecture Platform), while successfully pursuing freelance projects as an AI Artist/Architect. He’s making quite some waves with his awe-inspiring designs.&nbsp;It all started back in 2021-2022: the launch of the initial models DALL-E and Stable Diffusion sparked Arora’s curiosity in AI. The introduction of Midjourney, and the “wave of surreal images” that followed, sealed the deal. “It was at this point that I felt a strong desire to explore these processes myself, especially because I had witnessed countless hours wasted on the manual process of 3D drafting and photorealistic rendering over the years.” The learning curve has been steep at times, mainly due to the lack of professional tutorials. Arora: “To overcome this challenge, I delved into reading numerous notes, referring to YouTube discussions by fellow AI enthusiasts, and, most importantly, engaging in hands-on practice to devise my own processes for learning and improvement.”&nbsp;<blockquote><h1>“Embracing AI in the creative process opens up new possibilities and allows designers to push boundaries and realize their visions in ways that were previously unimaginable.”</h1><h1>&nbsp;</h1><h1>Harshdeep Arora</h1></blockquote>

PAYING IT FORWARD&nbsp;In the meantime, Arora has made it his mission to inform others about the possibilities and limitations of AI-based tools. “I aspire to motivate people to embrace this revolution and adapt themselves to create more than what they were previously capable of or trained for. Embracing AI in the creative process opens up new possibilities and allows designers to push boundaries and realize their visions in ways that were previously unimaginable.” Although that doesn’t mean computers are ‘taking over’: “AI has made great strides, but precise model generation using AI is still in its nascent stage. As a result, architects continue to rely on traditional 3D modeling and rendering for final designs that will be physically implemented on site.”&nbsp;Speaking of physicality. Many of the designs Arora creates will most likely never materialize and he’s okay with that. It comes with the job: “Over the years, working on concepts and designs of various scales, I've noticed that a significant percentage of large-scale projects never materialize. Many architects find themselves involved in design competitions or commissioned projects that may get stalled midway due to various reasons, such as client budget issues or government interventions. While this might seem like a waste of effort, this process is essential in creating the exceptional 10% of high-quality buildings that do get realized. It's through this iterative and exploratory approach that architects push the boundaries of design and create remarkable structures.”

OPEN SKETCHING &amp; CHEAP IMAGES&nbsp;Andrew Kudless, trained architect, professor of architecture and head of Matsys design studio, is one of those pushing the proverbial envelope. “I sketch with AI in a similar way that artists and architects have used hand sketches to dream possible futures. Sometimes I have a specific goal but more often, it is a form of exploration to help me expand my imagination,” Kudless explains. “I often describe the feeling of using generative AI tools as a form of open sketching. Although I’m not using a pen or pencil to imagine the work, it has the same give-and-take that sketching has.”&nbsp;<blockquote><h1>“These images range from the photorealistic to the painterly to the surreal. However, all of the images exhibit impossible elements, and this is what draws me to them."</h1><h1>&nbsp;</h1><h1>Mark Kudless</h1></blockquote>

<blockquote><h1>"The AI model does not understand the rules of light, geometry, or structure, but it does a reasonably good job of simulating them. And in this simulation, there are glitches that help me think about my work in new ways.”</h1><h1>&nbsp;</h1><h1>Mark Kudless</h1></blockquote>&nbsp;Kudless also points out that despite looking almost identical, generative AI images are in some ways the exact opposite of traditional digital renderings: “Renderings are expensive in that they require immense time, labor, and skill. They provide the designer with highly accurate simulations from multiple views. AI images are cheap in that they take nearly no time or skill and will never provide a completely coherent simulation of reality, especially from multiple views. However, there is great value in this cheapness. I can create thousands of variations on a theme in the same time it would take me to create one finished digital rendering of one of my designs. Used correctly and in partnership with traditional design modeling and rendering workflows, AI images can support a designer’s early explorations.”

Veils play a prominent role in the work of Kudless. And when looking at the AI generated works he has put out, it’s tempting to think that the veils are one way of showing what rendering programs can do with transparency and layers. But that is not the case. “I have been fascinated&nbsp;with using fabric in architecture for most of my career. It started in 1998 when I was living in Japan. You can see one of my first projects in 1998 documenting the hundreds of fabric-covered construction scaffolding in the Kansai region,” Kudless explains.&nbsp;<blockquote><h1>"I think it is important to test and use a variety of models as they have been trained with different datasets and provide different approaches and functionality. The AI space is evolving so quickly that you need to be open and curious.”</h1><h1>&nbsp;</h1><h1>Andrew Kudless</h1></blockquote>&nbsp;When asked if he has ever had any concerns about living up to the picture-perfect renders he presents to clients, Kudless replies: “As a designer, I always try to make sure the built reality offers something more than could ever be captured in an image. The image is an invitation to a much deeper experience. I used to say that I always wanted to make things that were more wonderful in reality than they were in renderings. And despite the advances in AI images and rendering technologies, I still think this is true as an image will never be able to capture the full spectrum of visual as well as non-visual sensory stimulations we experience in reality.” At the same time, Kudless still thinks it’s important to create beautiful images for they are symbols of the aspirations for a project: “For the designer, they can serve as a guidepost to keep us on track as there are always so many issues in the design process that can lead us astray. And for the client and community, they can rally support in ways that a plan drawing cannot.”

<img class="image_resized" style="width:50%;" src="https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg" alt="image002-1-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/thumbnail_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 120w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/small_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 387w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/medium_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 581w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/large_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 774w," sizes="100vw">We're very proud to call NOOK one of our partners.&nbsp;NOOK is the official magazine of the Dutch and Belgian professional associations for interior architecture, BNI and AINB. The magazine offers in-depth content, inspiration, and opinions. NOOK is published quarterly in English.&nbsp;The above article was first published in NOOK, the Drawing issue (2023 / #3).&nbsp;

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The rise of electronic tools and AI in creating photorealistic architectural renders has prompted a question: Is there a place for traditional hand-drawn sketches, or do these high-tech renders risk creating unrealistic client expectations? We delved into this issue by speaking to two innovative architects, Andrew Kudless of Matsys and&nbsp;Harshdeep Arora (prspctivs),&nbsp;who employ state-of-the-art software programs to navigate this new frontier of AI.

ARCHITECTURAL RENDERS IN THE AGE OF AI

<h2>Navigating Society's Hidden Architecture</h2>Studying architecture was an eye-opening experience for Kingma: it provided her with the tools to understand and present complex societal structures. "I am an architecture student at heart. I was obsessed with complex architecture and architectural ideas during my studies," Kingma explains. "Think of capitalism, our educational and healthcare system, or even democracy itself: they're all large structures that consist of agreements, laws, norms, and bureaucratic processes we must navigate. Because of the intricacy of many of these structures, it is difficult to oversee them all: things are often hidden behind facades. And that's problematic: when you don’t understand or oversee a structure, it becomes very difficult to change things." By visually representing the hidden facets of our infrastructures, Kingma hopes to spur discussions and empower individuals to understand and reshape their society.&nbsp;<blockquote><h1>"Architecture is a metaphorical language that transcends language barriers. Everyone understands the concept of a closed door, an ivory tower, or hitting a blank wall."</h1></blockquote>

<h2>Unveiling the Language of Architecture</h2>"In my view, there are two types of drawings in architecture. One is the construction blueprint, which is essential to the actual built. But as a student, I felt a bit disappointed that there was so much emphasis on those blueprints, and rendering them at a scale of 1:100 or 1:200 because what about the drawings that tell the story of architecture? How do you convey things like light, smells, and sounds? Where is the drawing that conveys a narrative?”Inspiration struck when Kingma delved into the work of architects from the 1960s, such as Archigram and Superstudio, who used architecture as a metaphorical language to convey complex ideas and utopian visions. “They created these phenomenal works of art: large drawings that showed the city as a machine. Rem Koolhaas did something similar: he started as a cinematographer, telling stories about modernity through a city. They all use architecture as a language to describe something complex. It's a rich architectural tradition.”This fusion of traditional architectural skills and artistic ways of expression resonated deeply with Kingma. Armed with her architectural training, she discovered that architecture is a language that breaks barriers, which enabled her to communicate profound concepts through drawings and sketches: "Architecture is a metaphorical language that transcends language barriers. Everyone understands the concept of a closed door, an ivory tower, or hitting a blank wall."

<blockquote><h1>"I prefer to draw manually because the composition needs to be felt. You have to sit in front of it and experience it."</h1></blockquote>

<h2>The Waterworks of Money</h2>For her latest project, titled The Waterworks of Money, Kingma delved into the world of money, shedding light on the significant impact of the monetary system on various aspects of society, including inequality, sustainability, and global relationships. “Most of us don't know how and where money is created, how it's put into circulation, or who has the right to it. And while we don't understand the whole structure, we certainly feel the consequences of the monetary system in our everyday life. I felt a strong urge to outline that architecture.”Kingma undertook the self-described "mammoth task" alongside collaborators Martijn Jeroen van der Linden (Lector of New Finance at Haagse Hogeschool) and Thomas Bollen (research journalist at Follow The Money). Kingma compares the process to building a physical structure, with multiple iterations akin to architectural development. Kingma: "The project spanned 2.5 years, with a full year dedicated to extensive research." Over this period, the trio interviewed at least 100 experts, ranging from bank treasurers and CEOs to communication staff, pension fund managers, tax authorities, private equity firms, and central bank representatives. Kingma: "We ended up having this huge wall covered with sketches and flowcharts of how the monetary system works."&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="800" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ycit4WbJuwE?si=q3CnKzJubEbRR-6Z" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="800" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IszXpzIo_ZQ?si=WFh0I979CJuT3S3H" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>&nbsp;The creative journey continued for another year and four months to craft a coherent design that served as an accurate architectural representation of the monetary system's inner workings. The final part of the project saw Kingma draw every intricate detail by hand. "Thomas and I worked about 100-120 hours a week, seven days a week. While I drew, he developed the audio tours and thought about how to guide people through the work. Then we launched it at Lowlands and later exhibited it at the Rijksmuseum Twente, and finally at the Architecture Biennale in Venice."&nbsp;

<blockquote><h1>“I don't use digital tools and am not interested in them either”</h1></blockquote><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>Manual Mastery in a Digital Age</h2>It's been a labor of love. And in a time where everything can be rendered within seconds, Kingma spent months manually crafting and sketching, painstakingly mapping out and drawing up the current world of money where everything is in motion. “I don't use digital tools and am not interested in them either. When I talk to people like a banker, I have to draw on the spot to illustrate the process. So, I set up flow diagrams, and that's easier and faster to do by hand.”The intricate hand-drawn illustrations allow Kingma to incorporate rich layers of information. Each representation holds meaning. Kingma believes that drawing manually enables her to feel the composition as a whole, connecting with the work on a deeper level. “Ultimately, it's about combining the 100+ elements of the story into a logical working whole, positioning them in relation to each other, creating different scales, and making representations. I wouldn't know how to give all that as input to a computer program. Each representation holds meaning. So, I prefer to draw manually because the composition needs to be felt. You have to sit in front of it and experience it.”&nbsp;Want to see more of Carlijn's work? Watch out for the documentary “The World of Carlijn.”&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="800" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dO2zhe_5p8w?si=6zEmP3Q-YMuXlCz9" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>&nbsp;

<img class="image_resized" style="width:50%;" src="https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg" alt="image002-1-scaled.jpg" srcset="https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/thumbnail_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 120w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/small_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 387w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/medium_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 581w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/large_image002_1_scaled_f05334289f.jpg 774w," sizes="100vw">We're very proud to call NOOK one of our partners.&nbsp;NOOK is the official magazine of the Dutch and Belgian professional associations for interior architecture, BNI and AINB. The magazine offers in-depth content, inspiration, and opinions. NOOK is published quarterly in English.&nbsp;The above article was first published in NOOK, the Drawing issue (2023 / #3).&nbsp;<a href="https://bni.nl/nook/">Order a hard copy of the issue for €12.50, excluding shipping</a>.&nbsp;

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Step into the captivating world of artist Carlijn Kingma (1991). Trained as an architect at Delft's University of Technology, she ventured off the beaten path to become a social cartographer. Today, she creates mesmerizing drawings using the metaphorical language of architecture.

CREATIVITY AT WORK: CARLIJN KINGMA'S CARTHOGRAPHY

Early Adaptors: SelgasCanoLong before the pandemic hit, SelgasCano, the Spanish architecture studio led by Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano, made waves with designs that pushed the proverbial envelope. Their own studio, nestled in the woods of Madrid, created quite some waves and was featured in magazines, architecture blogs, and sites worldwide. The - very photogenic - design allowed SelgasCano personnel to work under the trees, literally. In a more recent design, the Spanish studio went to Hollywood, where they created the first US location of the British co-working company Second Home. A former parking lot was turned into a co-working complex with oval-shaped pods, their bright yellow rooftops standing out against the green backdrop, not unlike lily pads in a pond. The site’s design reflects Second Home’s values, says COO Jamie Apostolou: “Biophilic design has always been a part of the Second Home DNA. This concept supports creativity, productivity, and mental health, among many other positive attributes.”

Apostolou said the design brief was simple: “Bring our biophilic design and the architecture by SelgasCano together and scale it across a two-acre footprint. Second Home Hollywood offered us a unique opportunity to apply this design approach to a campus format.” On-site, about 60% of the space is hosted outdoors, surrounded by over 100 species of plants, which some 250 companies enjoy. Apostolou: “Our members represent a broad range of industries, and with that diversity, we see teams reimagine the space in various ways we didn’t envision. The possibilities are endless, from creating classrooms to grouping several studios to form private campuses.”&nbsp;<blockquote><h1>&nbsp;A former parking lot was turned into a co-working complex with oval-shaped pods, their bright yellow rooftops standing out against the green backdrop, not unlike lily pads in a pond.&nbsp;</h1></blockquote>

#OutdoorOfficeDay&nbsp;Psychologist and social entrepreneur Ioana Biris’s interest in the outdoors predates COVID-19. Biris connects nature, work, and well-being with her company, Nature Desks. She also initiated Outdoor Office Day, which inspires people to take their work outdoors. “The idea came to me about 6 or 7 years ago. I wanted to see how we could improve people’s working lives. Sitting in an office for 9 hours a day didn’t seem very healthy or productive. So I wanted to take people outside so they could experience the benefits of stepping away from their computer.”&nbsp;Working remotely or meeting outside is easier for some than others. And the office culture also plays an important part. Biris: “For some people, going outside and meeting on a bench in the sun feels like playing hooky. We must break that taboo and tell company owners and managers that listening to a podcast or taking a stroll for some much-needed thinking time is still work.”&nbsp;Studies have shown that when in nature, people’s stress levels go down, and their sense of well-being increases. Spending time outdoors and being surrounded by nature can improve health and well-being. When we’re outside, we tend to move around more. Outdoor air quality also tends to be better than indoor quality. Spending half an hour in nature is known to lower pulse and blood pressure, but it is also therapeutic: being in nature decreases levels of stress and depression. In short, we feel better after spending time outdoors.&nbsp;Hard data about the positive effect of nature on people’s productivity or creativity are sometimes debated, although Biris has seen firsthand what going outside does to people. “At the first Outdoor Office Day in Utrecht, we saw people coming together from different companies and walks of life. Men in suits pulled up a chair, took off their shoes, and relaxed in the sun while meeting with the janitor of another company. These people normally never meet one another and get exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking. Going outside creates this water cooler effect but on a larger scale. And so we urge companies to facilitate these kinds of meetings by turning parking spaces on their industrial plot into an outdoor meeting room and include some benches and plants.”&nbsp;Biris is passionate about ensuring outdoor offices aren’t just enjoyed by the happy few or people whose job allows for flexibility but also those working in urban environments or office parks: “I’m not a real estate person, and there’s not some big agency pushing for this change. So I’m doing this in my spare time. It’s a labor of love. But it’s important. With simple adjustments, we can make life a little better and more beautiful: we can’t just spend our days sitting in some office, stuck behind a computer. We can do better than that.”

Sweden Leads the Way&nbsp;One company that is helping to change the way we work is Nola. This Stockholm-based company is known for creating sustainable design furniture for urban environments and was another early adopter of the outdoor office movement. The company has created anything from park benches to modular outdoor furniture systems but also works closely with architects, designers, landscape architects, and city planners to make urban spaces more accessible. For instance, they worked with Charlotte Persson Troije, whose Ph.D. dissertation included a study on outdoor office work. Troije’s study gave “new insights into how outdoor office work may be done—what works well versus less well; how employees experience outdoor work – benefits and obstacles; and what conditions need to be met in order to make it happen.” The collaboration led to the development of the outdoor office Work Lounge Chair: a workstation with a swivel dry-foam seat, laptop-adjusted table, and transparent backrest to create some privacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote><h1>Studies have shown that when in nature, people’s stress levels go down, and their sense of well-being increases. Spending time outdoors and being surrounded by nature can improve health and well-being.</h1></blockquote>

“We started designing outdoor offices in 2016,” says Henrik Edlund, Nola’s CEO, “We saw an increasing demand and willingness for people to work outdoors. Of course, there are a few challenges when working outdoors, think sunlight and strong wind, but overall, there are enormous benefits to both body and health. That’s something we identified early on. And the pandemic was an accelerator and validation of the need to work outdoors.”&nbsp;The Swedish environmental certification systems for buildings also helped the push for change and transforming cities. Edlund: “Every new build has to have as low a carbon footprint as possible, be well isolated to keep energy cost low, and include solar panels. But if you want to receive the highest certifications, your project also needs to include areas that benefit the health of the people working or living in the building. And that is boosting the transformation of our city: going green isn’t just someone’s idea or pet project; it is a formal requirement.” Watch and learn, people. Watch and learn.&nbsp;

<img class="image_resized" style="width:50%;" src="https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/Schermafbeelding_2023_11_06_om_16_54_30_9d3c8c9c16.png" alt="Schermafbeelding 2023-11-06 om 16.54.30.png" srcset="https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/thumbnail_Schermafbeelding_2023_11_06_om_16_54_30_9d3c8c9c16.png 121w,https://tioc-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/small_Schermafbeelding_2023_11_06_om_16_54_30_9d3c8c9c16.png 388w," sizes="100vw">We're very proud to call NOOK one of our partners.&nbsp;NOOK is the official magazine of the Dutch and Belgian professional associations for interior architecture, BNI and AINB. The magazine offers in-depth content, inspiration, and opinions. NOOK is published quarterly in English.&nbsp;The above article was first published in NOOK, the Symbiosis issue (2023 / #2).&nbsp;<a href="https://bni.nl/nook/">Order a hard copy of the issue for €12.50, excluding shipping</a>.

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If nothing else, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way we work. There have been significant changes depending on the nature of work, the technological infrastructure, and the company’s willingness to adapt. For starters, remote working has become more widespread, as has our reliance on technology. We’ve also become more aware of the work-life balance. Spending five days a week in an office suddenly seems archaic and unnecessary. Pair that with the fact that during all those lockdowns, many people rediscovered nature or took on walking as a hobby, and it’s hardly surprising that there is an increased interest in the outdoor office.

CREATIVITY AT WORK: OUTDOOR OFFICE

Rolf’s love for architecture runs deep. At 6 he already knew that he was going to be an architect. Following his training at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University Delft, Rolf started his own architecture agency. He was also one of the founding members of the award-winning agency Zecc Architects. However, Rolf quickly discovered that while he loved architecture, and in particular the reconstruction and transformation of existing buildings, running an architecture agency was not for him: “Being in the same building with other people all day long just doesn’t bring out the best in me.” Desperate for more creative freedom, Rolf turned his attention from architecture to product design.&nbsp;

It all started with his grandfather’s old chest of drawers. Nobody in the family was particularly interested in this heirloom piece except for Rolf, who offered to take the cabinet on the condition that he could do with it as he liked. He decided to cut the piece in half thereby transforming a traditional piece of furniture into a contemporary work of art. Rolf the “furniture transformer” was born. Armed with a chainsaw, Rolf transformed a number of pieces: by cutting away certain parts and adding new ones, he gave outdated furniture a new lease of life.&nbsp;

<blockquote><h1>“I DON’T LIKE RULES. I LIKE AUTONOMY, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY I MOVED TO FURNITURE.”</h1></blockquote>

Rolf: “I don’t like rules. I like autonomy, which is probably why I moved to furniture, although I took my love for architecture with me. As an architect you draw up plans and sections. Those sections are really nice but once the building is finished nobody ever sees them again, which is a shame really. So, I took that idea of sections and applied it to furniture design. By cutting away certain pieces the sections became permanently visible.”&nbsp;Rolf looks back on his endeavors with somewhat mixed feelings. They served a purpose but over time have started to feel like a bit of a trick: “At the risk of sounding jaded, but when I visit a design or art exhibition I see a lot of repetition. And I myself didn’t want to keep doing the same trick and reduce these concepts into some sort of gadget.”

“Truth is, when I take a chainsaw to a piece of furniture I’m kind of done with that after having done it a handful of times. Same with rolling up dollar bills to create a table: after a while I lose interest and I’m done. And times have also changed,” Rolf continues, “2022 is very different from 2015. Recycling has become much more accepted and mainstream. I played a small part in motivating and inspiring others by showing them the transformative power of recycling. But that was then and now it’s up to the industry and to all of us to really implement this on a large scale. In a way my role in that process is done, which is why I’m going back to my first love: architecture.”His biggest project to date is The House of Rolf. A former coach house that now serves as both Rolf’s home and studio. The house’s interior is made entirely out of material that comes from a demolished building next-door. Every single part has been repurposed from radiators to window frames. The end result is nothing short of spectacular: an old dilapidated building transformed into a modern design haven. Rolf: “This was a mammoth job. It took 2 years and it was horrible at times but Niek Hagemans and I pushed through and I’m really happy with the end result.”&nbsp;

Pushing through is somewhat of a theme in Rolf’s work. “I usually just jump in. I have an idea and start working on it immediately but there will always come a point where you’re sick of it. And something you loved working on transforms as well, and becomes something you absolutely hate doing. Fortunately, I know that I have a tendency to finish what I’ve started. It takes a lot of energy but I always see projects through and end up feeling happy about the end result.”In recent years, Rolf has turned his attention to Africa. He built a house in Senegal, a place he frequently visits. “After the tsunami a couple of friends and I went to Sri Lanka to help rebuild. It then became a thing we did every couple of years, going to places like Cambodia, Haiti and Senegal to help out.” Rolf found himself returning to Senegal because of the climate,its proximity to The Netherlands, and above all the people. Plus there aren’t too many rules and restrictions.“You can build something there without a permit. Of course that has enormous consequences for the look and feel of a city but as an architect it gives you enormous freedom. While at the same time, it also comes with less certainties: because there are no rules there’s nothing preventing my neighbors from building a 3-story high apartment block.For the house Rolf built he turned to local blacksmiths who all sell similar patio furniture, made of recycled reinforcing mesh. “All these tradespeople repurpose this mesh that was once used to reinforce concrete. And they take bits and pieces and weld them together to create this iconic chair. But they don’t do it because it’s hip or fashionable. It’s born out of necessity. That has been something of an eye opener. And as a result I have begun to see my own designs in a new light. It explains why my conceptual work has become of less interest to me.Rolf’s latest endeavor? An old farm house in a rural part of eastern Holland. “The original farm dates back to 1888 but over the years different elements and buildings have been added, right up to 1985. I want to transform that building in a way that honors that history and literally shows the layers that have been added over the years. In the end, I’m still fascinated with transformation. Because it is such a layered concept. It’s about turning nothing into something.”&nbsp;

<blockquote><h1>“IT'S ABOUT TURNING NOTHING INTO SOMETHING.”</h1></blockquote>

Disclaimer:A version of this article has been published in <a href="https://bni.nl/nook/">NOOK</a>, the trade publication for Interior Architects in The Netherlands and Belgium.&nbsp;And finally, for your viewing pleasure, a beautiful video on Rolf Bruggink's work by <a href="https://www.stijnpoelstra.com/">Stijn Spoelstra</a>.

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Transformation plays a crucial role in both the work and life of Rolf Bruggink. Trained as an architect, this Dutch native made a name for himself as a product designer with concepts that blur the lines between design and art.&nbsp;

Architecture

ARCHITECTURAL RENDERS IN THE AGE OF AI

CREATIVITY AT WORK: CARLIJN KINGMA'S CARTHOGRAPHY

CREATIVITY AT WORK: OUTDOOR OFFICE

ROLF BRUGGINK: THE ART OF TRANSFORMATION

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