Unsolicited Architecture – Brazil – The Netherlands
What is the creative power of an architect without a client? An architect always seems to be at the mercy of those who give him a commission, but what if the architect himself heads out into the world at large looking for situations where he can make a positive contribution? This idea is called “unsolicited architecture”.
Last July, the Netherlands Architectural Institute and Studio X Rio de Janeiro organised an “unsolicited architecture” event. Four young Dutch architects were paired with four young Brazilian architects from Rio de Janeiro, all of them working in a particular neighbourhood of the city. In a single day, the architects were commissioned to visit “their” neighbourhood together, to search out problems or challenges, and to come up with a solution to this problem on the very same day. This solution was developed over the course of a night by the full bureau into a concrete proposal and presented the next day to the city managers of Rio de Janeiro. By means of posters on the street the proposals were presented in the neighbourhood itself for commentary by the residents.
The event led not only to a strong creative exchange between Dutch and Brazilian architects, but also to actual commissions. One of the proposals developed in 24 hours by the Dutch architects (West 8) and the Brazilian architects (Rua Architecture) is being implemented at this very moment. In addition the proposal received broad press coverage, such as a full page article in Globo, the biggest newspaper in Rio de Janeiro.
The Netherlands Architecture Institute intends to hold a similar workshop with Brazilian architects, in the Netherlands.