Architecture Day 2024: Making Space
In 2024, the theme of the Day of Architecture is 'Making Space'. The national event takes place on June 13, 14, 15, and 16, 2024. On and around these days (usually June 15 and 16), various architecture initiatives organize walks, tours, bike rides, and other activities. A total of 35 municipalities or regions are participating. If you want to experience something unique or connect with architects, this is your chance!
What is Architecture Day?
The Day of Architecture is for everyone interested in architecture and urban development. Since 1986, the Day of Architecture has been a nationwide phenomenon that attracts a large number of visitors. Many villages and cities open up special buildings and offer a program of lectures, debates, exhibitions, films, and excursions. Locally, every city or region gives the program its own unique interpretation.
The Day of Architecture showcases iconic buildings and what architecture can do for the quality of our living environment in cities, towns, and regions. Architecture and urban planning play an important role in solving major socio-economic and spatial issues. This includes democratization and participation, making the city and society more sustainable, and healthy urbanization.
Since 2020, the overarching national theme of the activities has been determined by the Foundation for the Coordination of Local Architecture Initiatives (St. CoLA) in close consultation with the architecture centers. The themes are explicitly intended to draw attention not only to 'enjoying and learning from buildings', but also to larger design challenges and the role, responsibility, and importance of designers and clients in this context. This, together with the national network of local initiatives, offers the opportunity to engage in dialogue with citizens and other stakeholders at the local, regional, and national levels.
Making Space on June 15 and 16, 2024
The theme for this year's celebration of the national Day of Architecture is 'Making Space'. This relates to the realization that practically everything around us in our living environment – certainly in the Netherlands – has been conceived. Designed. Made. Spaces have been created. Indoors, outdoors, in the landscape, underground, on the water…?? With spatial and societal issues such as climate change, the energy transition, the housing crisis, technologization, and, for example, the mobility crisis, we are increasingly running up against spatial limits. The question arises: is there enough space to accommodate everything we want and need? Is there still space to make? And is space still malleable?
Making Space = The claims on available land are many times greater than the available space. How do we arrive at an integrated approach whereby the available space can be better utilized? What is the role of design power in this? Making space is integral thinking and doing.
Making Space = We must dare to think freely and make choices to use the space we have more efficiently, thereby making optimal use of the available space. How do you arrive at those choices? What kinds of scenarios help with this? How do we have a conversation about this with each other? Making space is daring to choose.
Making Space = Designers are uniquely capable of grasping the complexity of challenges but also of translating them into attractive scenarios that can make this complexity imaginable, insightful, and understandable for a broad audience. Designing is making space.
Making Space = The awareness and willingness to listen to more voices is growing, there is more diversity at negotiation tables, and a full-fledged position for and of greenery and nature. This means giving more participation and ownership to organizations and individuals who did not receive it before. How do we ensure that unilaterally composed groups make space? Making space is making room. Making space can also mean precisely not doing something. Letting something go. In 1991, the famous book appearedMaking space, leaving space' by Herman Herzberger (1932). The architect and his oeuvre, famous for the many ways in which space can be created. With the release of the film Proof of the Pudding and the impending demolition of two iconic buildings (Centraal Beheer Apeldoorn and the former Ministry of Social Affairs in The Hague), he is currently back in the spotlight. Making space is leaving space.
This Day of Architecture demonstrates in various ways where and how architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture can be deployed and offer solutions to the major challenges we face by Creating Space in a unique way.
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