Connecting landscape architecture to the Artefact during IABR2018+2020

In 2018 and 2020 the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) has a combined programme: the Missing Link. How can we really achieve the climate goals? Students of Landscape Architecture and Architectural Engineering will be working together to find possible solutions by combining the broad context with societal issues. Lecturers Frits van Loon and Nico Tillie (Landscape Architecture) and Thijs Asselbergs and Anne Snijders (Architectural Engineering) will be supervising the new multidisciplinary graduation studios working throughout all scales.

Frits van Loon explains: “Within landscape architecture the areas of urban metabolism and the circular economy alone have many assignments: from energy transition to water and food. What's more, you don't often get the opportunity to work things out in detail. Architectural Engineering looks at the same assignments at an artefact level. Architectural aspects and the underlying building systems affect the landscape. Looking at these aspects together and searching for cohesion enables us to develop far more interesting and also truly achievable solutions. Together we can lift the results to a higher level and explore unexpected new combinations.” 

The graduation studios will start in September. Students from the Flowscapes graduation studio as well as the Intecture graduation studio will work together on ideas for two regions: Parkstad in Limburg and Bandung in Indonesia. The aim is to use research-by-design to provide insight into how the landscape and the artefacts of the future will be experienced. The first research results will be presented during the IABR2018 in Rotterdam and Brussels.

Image: Lena Niel (Landscape Architecture) 

Image: Keren Yang (Architectural Engineering)