Powerful exhibition on the future of building
“We are standing at a turning point,” states curator Monica Adams during the opening of the exhibition HOW DO WE WANT TO BUILD M4H 2030 in the Keilepand. While the construction world is dominated by rising rents, climate change and rising costs for building materials, the KeileCollectief takes you on a quest for a future-proof living environment.
The exhibition links this quest to the Merwe-Vierhavens (M4H) in Rotterdam. This mixed-use port area is on the eve of a transition to a cultural residential-work district, in which collectivity as the basis for circularity is central. How do we realize a sustainable and circular built environment ready for future challenges?
Built environment in all its forms
From this context, the design studios De Urbanisten, CITYFÖRSTER, Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven, GROUP A | Carbonlab and studioADAMS each examined a specific aspect within the built environment. These studies of landscape, urbanism, architecture and materials are evocatively plotted in a timeline ranging from 1900 to 2100. All layers come together in a spectacular 40-meter-long section showing the development of M4H through time.
“By looking back 100 years and looking 100 years ahead, we want this exhibition to evoke a sense of urgency, complicity and ownership for a sustainable built environment.”
– Ninke Happel, co-founder Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven and responsible for the Architecture theme line
KeileCollectief takes initiative
The result of this special collaboration is an inspiring overview of Dutch building culture that offers hope for the future by challenging the following questions. How do we build a healthy habitat for people, plants and animals? How do we achieve an urbanism that makes meaningful use of the existing environment and facilitates a sustainable lifestyle? How do we develop housing technology with the lowest possible impact on the environment? How do we achieve innovation on a systemic level?
Public program
These questions will be explored in an extensive program of lectures, debates and workshops. During the finissage on September 15, the social transition of the M4H area will take center stage paired with the sustainable transformation. After all, the exhibition is not an ending, but a start for a further exploration on how we can shape our future together.
Except July 15 through Aug. 20, the exhibition will be open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. through Sept. 15. The exhibition is free of charge.
The exhibition is supported by ABT, Adviesbureau Lüning, AIR – Architectuur Instituut Rotterdam, Aveco de Bondt, Concrete Blossom, Cordeel, DGMR, Dura Vermeer Bouw Heyma, Gemeente Rotterdam – Cultuur, Programmabureau M4H, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and Vandersanden.
Visit the KeileCollectief website for more information about the exhibition and program.