“MVRDV Buildings” Book Available in US End February

Wed, Jan 6 - Wed, Jan 6  2016

End February, the book “MVRDV Buildings” will be available in the US. The book is published by nai010 publishers.

About the Book

After selling out the First Edition of “MVRDV Buildings” in just 24 months, MVRDV and nai010 publishers have released an updated Second Edition of the book which now includes recently completed projects such as the Markthal, Pushed Slab, and the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam. In cooperation with Ilka and Andreas Ruby, MVRDV has assembled a redefined collection of its built work, featuring user testimonials, journalist articles, unpublished images and accessible drawings. The book is an attempt to evolve the typology of the architectural monograph, to better reflect the idea that buildings prove their right to existence through use.

In addition to thought provoking projects such as Pig City and Grand Paris, MVRDV have designed a diverse portfolio of realised buildings and urban plans; including the Villa VPRO, the Book Mountain and the Markthal. But how do these buildings perform now that they are occupied? What is the philosophy, logic, and design thinking behind the office’s visually powerful concepts? And what is life actually like inside a blue house, on an orange tribune, in a vertical shopping street, or above a gigantic arched market place? This book tries to find the answers to these questions, and in doing so goes beyond the traditional content of an architectural monograph.

Since MVRDV was founded 22 years ago, the office has always tried to include the users of its buildings in its designs: from the translation of their wishes and behavior into the datascapes that form part of the design process, to their presence in published photographs of finished works. So it seemed natural to involve them once again, and to give them a voice, when the work began of collecting material for this book about 22 years of buildings made by MVRDV.

By asking Andreas and Ilka Ruby to edit the book, a journalistic voice was added to the project. Instead of project descriptions by the architect, interviews and visits to the buildings form the basis of the texts, accompanied by clear and easy-to understand drawings of the buildings as they were built. MVRDV also tried hard to find existing photographs of the buildings as they are in use today, rather than commissioning new photographs of emptied spaces. Designer Joost Grootens contributed to this idea by collecting as many amateur photographs of the buildings as he could find, showing what users, visitors and passers-by think is notable, or beautiful, about the works. Clients, users and friends on social media were asked for their collaboration.

About MVRDV

MVRDV was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The practice engages globally in providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues. A highly collaborative, research-based design method involves clients, stakeholders and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process. The results are exemplary, outspoken projects, which enable our cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future.

About nai010

nai010 publishers specializes in developing, publishing and distributing books in the fields of architecture, urbanism, art and design. Resulting from the merger of NAi Publishers and 010 Publishers as of July 2012, nai010 publishers is the largest internationally orientated Dutch publisher in the fields of architecture, art, photography and design.