Habitat

The architects of the Rotterdam architecture practice biq stadsontwerp realize that the human habitat is no pristine idyll. Hans van der Heijden and Rick Wessels consider the habitat to be the architect’s fi eld of work and the gauge of the design. The design’s effectiveness is the product of traditions and societal conventions, of the dreams, desires and fi ctions of its inhabitants, but also of the possibilities and limitations of the construction industry. biq stadsontwerp links architectonic forms to the negotiations inherent in working in the modern city. Habitat examines this realism through five of the practice’s award-winning designs.
New build and renovation, urban expansion and urban regeneration, mass-produced housing and monumental public buildings are presented side by side as architectural challenges of equal value. Habitat features explanatory texts and illustrations by Hans van der Heijden and Rick Wessels, a critical interview by Ellis Woodman and photographs by Stefan Müller.
Hans van der Heijden and Rick Wessels are architects at the Rotterdam architecture practice biq stadsontwerp. Ellis Woodman is executive editor of Building Design and architecture critic for The Telegraph.