4. biennale of architecture in Rotterdam

On Friday, September 24, 2009, the fourth edition of the international architectural biennale was opened at the NAi in Rotterdam, for which this year's curator Kees Christiaanse chose the theme "Open City - Designing Coexistence". The next day, when the Amsterdam part of the biennale began, we headed to the NAi, where a completely new entrance to the museum was created for this event, which ultimately seems to be more logical than the original one. After crossing a temporary bridge over an artificial pond, one finds themselves in a large hall, which is softly divided using neon lights hanging from the ceiling. At the back of the hall, a presentation by the curators is just beginning. In the introductory speech about this year's theme, terms such as diversity, interaction, difference, division, integration, and segregation abound. However, the main focus is on designs that attempt to "open" the city to the widest possible audience. To create a place for meetings, healing society, and mutual exchange of experiences. The power of architects and urban planners plays an important role here, as they can significantly support the idea of an open city through the right means. The exhibition documents existing urban structures and examines to what extent this open and friendly coexistence affects its residents and contributes to their well-being and improvement of life. A number of urban planners, architects, universities, and cities contributed to the IABR with their interpretations of what they envision under the term "open city". The primary task of the biennale is to "understand the diversity of cities and use it for the common good," as this year's director of the biennale Kees Christiaanse states, who, in addition to his own KCAP office, also leads the Department of Urban Design at ETH in Zurich. This year's biennale offered Zurich students the opportunity to present their long-term research to a wider audience. Financial support from ETH allowed the creation of a more than four-hundred-page catalog.
This year's themes, such as the growing gap between the rich and the poor, conflicts between different ethnic groups, and the increased number of so-called "gated communities," represent just some symptoms of the urgency to approach an open city and the necessity to adopt specific effective strategies.
The fourth edition builds on earlier biennales focused on research in urban design. Unlike Venice, the Rotterdam biennale has never been about architectural stars. Nevertheless, they do not intend to rename the event to an urban biennale, as the debates still revolve around spatially defining disciplines and architecture. According to the organizers, one cannot be a good urbanist without sufficient sensitivity in choosing materials or for human scale.
Current urban issues and design proposals are presented in six thematic areas: Community, Collective, Refuge, Squat, Diaspora, and Make-Able Society.
The main figure is Kees Christiaanse, who presents the research he leads at ETH Zurich. The biennale again focuses on pressing social issues that do not necessarily have to be primarily associated with architecture. Each panel requires your full attention; it was necessary to delve into and understand the issues. Students from various architecture schools analyzed political and sociological phenomena. The enormous amount of information that several European teams have gathered over the past two years cannot be absorbed in one visit, so we purchased the four-hundred-page catalog and will revisit the projects individually.
The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the city, and finally, we enjoyed ourselves at Wine or Water. It does not shine with newness or wealth, does not exploit its history, and does not pander cheaply. Nothing binds it; it does not need to be preserved but can develop according to its true needs.
Those expecting a grand exhibition filled with world-renowned names will have to wait another year for the 12th architectural biennale in Venice. The Rotterdam biennale has always been about urgent topics, interdisciplinary analyses, and a sincere effort to change things. People do not come here for entertainment, but to genuinely reflect and learn something.
To make the architectural experience of visiting the biennale perfect, I warmly recommend staying in the city center at Blom's Kubuswoning, whose slanted walls, unconventional layout, and peculiar window shapes, however, do not lend themselves to long-term living.