What about an architectural practice that aims to be independent of demand, that questions it? What are the possibilities in terms of design for an architect that seeks necessity elsewhere?
Such an ‘unsolicited’ approach to architecture manifests as a reflexive mirror towards practices that operate based on demand. Within architecture, such a mirror-like position can serve as a platform that safeguards the free and critical thinking of architects in conventional demand-based milieus. This platform can help interventions come into fruition that approach the everyday environment alternatively, that focus or question the experience of a given situation.
Such new angles of approach can make opposite realties explicit or reflect on the potential of a given place and probe for (indirect) interactions. They comprise a diverse range of projects that explore the boundaries of architecture. In each instance, they illuminate the common perception of an existing context and its layered nature.
The reflexive practice is a mode of operation, a framework of sorts without a substantive description. This latter characteristic is especially important, given that descriptive framing would detract from the symbiosis between the con-ventional practice of building and its mirror image. The latter requires substantive freedom, in contrast to a practice of architecture that generates its content in response to demand or a question.
This also means that the reflexive practice needs to question itself constantly, neglecting to do so would mean failing in achieving its own goals. The desired methodology comprises of a symbiotic relationship between the efficiency and intensity within a team, and the tangential outsider view that shifts and expands horizons. This necessitates “working apart together”.
We aspire to engage in collaborations that span far into the future, transcend projects and operate unimpeded by the confines of rigid structures, opening up space for a focussed design process to evolve. This creates a practice compris-ing of a compact network of interlinked key figures, with each concerning a specific relationship that is nurtured and defined over time. This attitude goes hand in hand with a dynamic workspace where societal relevance plays a role.
Laura Muyldermans / Architect
In conversation with Sanders Rutgers
www.lauramuyldermans.info