How Architecture Is Born: The Visionary Process of Mecanoo

Great architecture arises from the unexpected. As designers, we discover the world around us from experiences that shape who we are. Thoughtful solutions emerge from analysis and playful creation, a process intimately tied to the world as we find it, with its inherent needs and constraints. Few practices regularly elevate architecture above commodity: to do so usually becomes arduous and costly and takes considerable time. Yet, when designers choose to value imagination and exploration, a powerful story unfolds, one imbued with mystery, inspiring ideas, and meaningful connections. Each firm forms its own path to realizing its work. While traditional methods quickly become standardized, innovative and visionary processes exist, ones which advocate a design methodology rooted in people and place.

Mastering this approach with poise and finesse, Mecanoo is a firm that challenges designers to enhance and enrich the human condition. Since its official inception in 1984, the practice has transformed from a group of students to a global firm with over 150 professionals from 25 countries. While already boasting an impressive body of work, including the library at Delft University of Technology, the Library of Birmingham, and a Cultural Complex in Shenzhen, China, the firm also recently landed the high-profile New York Public Library commission.

© Leon van der Velden

The Mecanoo ‘symphony’ at work.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Mecanoo continues to uphold a ‘free spirit and unlimited creativity’ as embodied by their logo, a falling diver. This optimism and dynamic culture is ingrained within the firm’s unique process, and one need look no further than the in-house model shop for insight into their culturally significant and human-centered designs.

A photo of Henk Bouwer at work in Mecanoo’s Model Shop

During the ’80s and ’90s, before hyperreal renderings began inundating the profession, Mecanoo regularly produced artistic collages, colored sketches, and carefully crafted models. Mecanoo’s workshop is led by Henk Bouwer, a model-maker with over 50 years of experience who has been with the firm since its founding. As an integral part of the design process, Bouwer goes beyond turning drawings into models, actively working with architects to find the best solution. This solution is based as much on intuition and experience as it is on building skills. To Bouwer, it’s the stories behind each model and the process of how each was created that make them special.

Working with Mecanoo, we’ve gathered together some of their beautiful models and collages as well as learned about the firm’s approach to modeling with craftsmanship and soul:

1. Model for Kruisplein, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Mecanoo’s first project, Kruisplein, was created as a public housing and urban regeneration project. The team shaped floor plans to provide optimal flexibility for large groups of people. Modeled using a simple color palette and neutral ground plane, the finished building displays the same close attention to detail and materials.

2. Masterplan collage for Space by Space – Masterplan Public Space City Centre, Groningen, Netherlands

Envisioned as a masterplan that would reveal Groningen’s clear spatial structure, the firm’s collage for Space by Space examined varying typologies and public areas throughout the city. Combining elements like pavement, policy, and shop displays, the collage shows how the overall plan becomes manifested at varied locations with specific needs. The design was realized as a pilot project in 1991.

3. Model for Kaap Skil, Maritime and Beachcombers Museum, Oudeschild, Texel, Netherlands

Building upon the Dutch tradition of reusing washed-up objects, Mecanoo designed this museum with a textured façade and peaked roof that echoes the character of the surrounding village. The reclaimed vertical slat façade plays with rhythm and shadows while heightening the contrast between floors. The intimately crafted model directly correlates to the finished museum.

4. Collages for Westergasfabriek Terrain, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Surrounded by water and railway tracks, the design for Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam was a partnership between Francine Houben and Kathryn Gustafson. Balancing city and landscape, the design accentuates transitions while accommodating diverse programs. The collages explore this idea and an inquisitive attitude toward nature.

5. Model for La Llotja de Lleida, Lleida, Spain

As encapsulated by the La Llotja Theatre and Conference Centre model, the project’s design involved a monolithic volume that rises to protect and enclose colorful interior spaces. A solid natural stone façade becomes interrupted by a band of light informed by the model’s material nature. Vertical circulation becomes encouraged as visitors transition between the exterior public square and multifunctional hall within.

6. Model and colored sketch for BBC Headquarters, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Awarded second prize by a commission aiming to create a dense, energetic media hub in Glasgow, the BBC Headquarters project explored the workplace of the future. The elegant model and color sketches reveal the inclusive visible nature of the design and relationships between interior and exterior space.

7. Model for Delft Municipal Office and Train Station, Delft, Netherlands

The first phase of Mecanoo’s new train station opened to the public this year. Recognizable for its iconic undulating ‘vault’ map, the station establishes a new landmark in Delft. As seen by the model, incisions were made along the volume to admit daylight inside and echo the city’s laneways.

To see more of Mecanoo’s incredible models, check out its impressive Pinterest board. You can also find out more on Bouwer and his designs on his website.