THEYHAVEDOZENSOFBUILDINGSUNDERCONSTRUC-
TION ON THREECONTINENTS, four studios staffed by 300
highly qualified professionals and a single “control unit” in
Amsterdamthathasalwaysbeenrunby thepractice’spair
offoundersBenvanBerkelandCarolineBos.UNStudioisa
real industry of design. In addition to being one of the very
fewinternationalstudiosthatworkonallthreescalesofde-
sign – the city, architecture and product design – this hot-
houseofideashasrecentlygivenrisetoasectiondedicated
to consultancy in the field of the sustainability (UNSense).
At thesametimeitislaunchingwithBIGandSquint/Opera
- two other giants of creativity – an innovative platform
that will use the techniques and special effects of virtual
reality to allow people to experience architectural designs
inanimmersiveway.Asthearchitectsays:“Technologyin-
terests us greatly but only when it is placed at the service
of our well-being, when it improves how we live and com-
municate. In a world in which almost everything passes
through the laptop, I think that the rarest and most valu-
able commodity is the possibility of meeting face-to-face.
And it is on this that we focus our research.” For some time
the practice has been developing adaptive forms of archi-
UNATORRE ABITATIVA BOLIDISTA CHEHA L’AMBIZIONEDI RAPPRESENTARE
“UN QUARTIERENEL CIELO”
THE AESTHETICSOF THE FUTUREIS EXPRESSED ALMOST IN THE MANNEROF THE BOLIDIST MOVEMENTBY THE RESIDENTIALHIGH-RISEFOR
YOUNG FAMILIES, WHICHAIMSTO REPRESENT“A NEIGHBOURHOODIN THE SKY”
COURTESY HUFTON+CR
OW
EVA BOLEM