In the space of barely a decade, the Groningen-based architecture bureau Onix has established an impressive reputation. Far from the hub of Dutch architecture in the Randstad conurbation of major cities in the west of the Netherlands, Onix has been working on its oeuvre with highly idiosyncratic views about the essential aspects of architecture. In many of its projects, such as the much-discussed ecological farm for the disabled in Haren, the bureau seeks out novel positions where the context and specificity of the local play an important role, yet without ever falling into the traps of facile historicizing solutions. Even more important for Onix is the view that contemporary architecture is overly dominated by concepts and images, and too little by actual architectonic experience.
The crux of the book Awaiting Signification is therefore the authentic architecture experience. In a new, large-scale residential complex in Zwolle, designed by Onix and completed in late 2004, the bureau has an apartment at its disposal for six months. Onix has invited dozens of visitors to sleep there for a night, from expert architecture critics to absolute laypersons. In return, Onix expects the visitors to note down their experiences - experiences with the neighbours, with shops, with public transport. This, in short, is what Onix believes to be the essence of architecture. This places the perception of a new building in a perspective totally unlike the norm in architecture criticism.
The book also includes an overview of all the important Onix projects over the last decade. The MaNUfest is the springboard for a text, written by Onix, in which the bureau presents its motivations
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