On 19 October, Jan Knikker will deliver a lecture on Sustainable and Social Architecture and Urbanism in France. Jan will delve into a number of MVRDV’s past projects in the country, which range from the transformation of Gaîté Montparnasse, for which both sustainable reuse and the addition of social housing and amenities were core features, to the “re-socialising” of Lyon Part-Dieu shopping centre, which utilised a significant amount of the existing building’s materials and helped transform the city centre.

Following MVRDV being invited in 2007 to rethink the sustainable future of Paris by President Sarkozy, the practice experienced significant growth in France, realising projects across the country including temporary exhibitions, commercial premises, retail, residential, mixed-use, and masterplans. Illustrating MRDRV’s expansion in France, Jan will further provide insight into how the firm works in the territory compared to other countries, and the fundamentals of the selection process when it comes to partnering on projects. 

Partner and Director of Strategy at MVRDV, Jan Knikker joined MVRDV in 2008. Prior to this, Knikker shaped OMA’s public image for nearly a decade, after having first began his career as a journalist. As Partner and Director of Strategy at MVRDV, Knikker drives Business Development and Public Relations efforts, spearheading a large and dynamic studio that also includes the office’s visualization capacity. He further leads the office’s branding efforts, and MVRDV’s expansion into new regions and typologies, by supporting the office’s ambition to generate solutions to global challenges through a multifaceted approach to architecture, urbanism, and computing.

• Date & time: October 19 at 18:30 (CDT).
• Location: Alliance Française de Chicago, 54 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60610
• More information including how to register can be found here.