In 2020 Down to Earth, the 9th Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, sought to make an impact in practice, from changing the way we manage water in the Delta of the Low Countries to realizing an inclusive energy transition in a Rotterdam urban district.
For this latest installment of Down to Earth, the ninth edition of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR), lead designer Adriaan Geuze (West 8) collaborated with IABR-Ateliers to complete a research project and exhibition on water safety and urban development.
Exactly 600 years after the St-Elisabeths flood, one of the worst floods in Dutch history, Dordrecht continues to be vulnerable and is always looking for ways to improve water safety for the city. De Staart, an area outside of the city on relatively high ground, could offer a refuge in case of future floods while also providing an opportunity to create a sustainable living environment. In other words, how can water safety be used as leverage?
With his Map of Opportunities, Adriaan Geuze created a vision for De Staart that allowed five substudies to be commissioned. The results of these studies by West 8, VenhoevenCS, PosadMaxwan, DVMB, and EGM architects will be presented at the exhibition using video animations and scale models.
Down to Earth
For the ninth edition of the IABR, curator George Brugmans asks the question: Where can we land? Can we reestablish ourselves on planet Earth in a sustainable balance with other life forms? Down to Earth is a plea for systemic thinking and proposes using recognisable and urgent tasks as leverage for the sustainable transformation of the entire system. This would transform our urban landscapes and living environments and stimulate the political-social debate about nature, quality, and ownership of radical change.
-> More information about this exhibition (in Dutch), visit the IABR Website.
Client
Committee of the 9th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam
Imagery
© West 8