In our increasingly privatized world, co-inhabited spaces are rather seen as sources of conflict rather than stimulators of interconnectivity, especially in dense urban contexts. Can we create new ways of connecting people, whether permanent or temporary, with the strength of the collective? Nathalie De Vries, co-founder of Nederlands-based design firm MVRDV, pursues a fascination for radical, investigative spatial research focusing on the urban landscape, the public realm, and the influence of architecture on the everyday lives of its inhabitants and users.

In this lecture, Nathalie de Vries will discuss MVRDV’s approach to contemporary housing solutions. Focussing on innovative housing design solutions for our cities in a globalized yet individualized world, she will also cover how to rally stakeholder support for completing these projects. Using examples of mixed communities such as the Silodam apartment block in Amsterdam, single-family villas for specific users such as the Barcode House in Munich, the participatory urbanism process Nieuw Leyden, as well as the recently completed Markthal in Rotterdam, she will illustrate how architecture and urban design can create spaces and places for these New Collectivities.

Unfortunately the lecture is now sold out. A recording will be made available on this page during the week of 10th August.