What Happened To My Buildings

What do you do as an architect when it is as if your profession has been abolished and you would like to know whether what you have built is actually any good? Marlies Rohmer bought a van, pasted big letters saying ‘What Happened To?’ on it and revisited 25 buildings of which she once had great expectations. She talked with commissioners, residents and users. This resulted in a sometimes moving, often hilarious and always informative exploration of what really counts in architecture.

Hilde de Haan and Jolanda Keesom put these lessons into the broader context of building, residing in and working on cities. The concrete examples from Rohmer’s study caused them to ask questions that concern everyone: What does it matter how the architect responds to the environment, which façade materials they choose, how much attention they give the outdoor space or how they arrange the interior? And what part do rules and regulations play?