MVRDV, the architectural practice set up in 1991 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, has grown during the past ten years into a household name in the Netherlands and far beyond. With its experimental research projects and mind-bending architecture, MVRDV has carved itself a niche in the international architecture scene.
This book examines the context of MVRDV's research-based thinking and radical design strategies. Texts by a number of international critics, philosophers and architects amongst which Aaron Betsky, Andreas Ruby, Jean Attali, Bart Lootsma, Sanford Kwinter, Lieven De Cauter, Brett Steele and Alain Guiheux probe into the whys and wherefores of MVRDV's architecture, the potentials of the data-scapes and the secret of the firm's success. The contributors compare MVRDV with other generations and describe how new concepts are born. The pros and cons surrounding MVRDV converge in this book, which takes a critical stand towards architectural thought in general and the practice of this office in particular