Meet…#6 | Birgitta Rottmann
In the ‘Meet…’ series, GROUP A staff members respond to a few statements about their work. This time it’s turn to Birgitta Rottmann. Birgitta has been working as an architect since 2005 at GROUP A, studying architecture in Innsbruck and Delft. She lives in a self-catering house in Rotterdam, is married and has 2 daughters.
My preference is for
– Work in a large team on a complex project
– Work on a small project in a smaller setting
A bit of both. Since I’ve worked at GROUP A, I’ve always worked in a smaller setting. That’s good for me, because I can then easily keep the overview. My projects are different in size and complexity. The interior for the municipality in ‘De Rotterdam’ was quite complex, with a small team from GROUP A, but in collaboration with a team of Makkink + Bey and Rolf van Gils. I found that great fun to do. But for me, it’s important to have the time to design and draw yourself instead of sending mails, calling, and sending a team.
The biggest challenge in my design is
– To get my design as original as possible
– Updated the design during the process
What am I boring! Also a bit of both. Of course it’s nice if a design remains as original as possible, but if there is any need for a shovel for any reason, I will initially mock and try to make the best of it. And then I can enjoy it again and stop energy.
My colleagues describe me as
– A serious person
– Someone who is in for a joke
Both of them. I think the “younger/new” colleagues see me as a serious person. The people who have known me for a while know that I’m good for a joke. It is true that since I have children and have to be home at home, I have to keep the Friday afternoon drink short and thus have less time for a cozy baby and unmarried.
If I can choose
– Then I work on an interior
– Then I work on the facade of an impressive office tower
Haha, who has created these questions?!!
I often say that I want to do an architectural project again and it seems to me wonderful to work on a facade of an impressive office tower, but in recent years I have been doing interiors again. These are always interior projects where you can do something extra, so more than just a standard office device. As with ‘De Rotterdam’, develop a substance for the reuse, the welcome floor and the company’s restaurant, or as at the Learning Lab TU Delft project, design a special piece of furniture and completely demolish it. I think that’s a good thing. And the nice interiors are that you often get faster results. Architecture trajectories are somewhat slower.
When a project is ready
– I’m proud of the result
– Then thinking about how it was better
Clearly proud, but I do everything I could to better do it in a next project.
On a free Saturday afternoon
– I’d rather go outside
– I dive in the kitchen to cook well
Then I’d rather go outside and dive into the kitchen to cook well later, but something that does not cost too much time.
Who will give you the stick for the next interview?
To Nour Fellah. She is fairly new in our team and I have not had much time to talk with her. I only know she is from Tunisia and I am therefore curious about her interview.
