During the first thirty years of his career, Herman Hertzberger developed specific constructive-structural systems for some of his projects, capable, through internal adaptations and variations, of resolving the entire building in an integrated manner. Amongall these 'construction kits', as he himself called them, that of the Muziekcentrum in Utrecht (1973-1978) is the most elaborate and complex of his career. This paper seeks to identify the reasons and the resources employed, elements that allow us to verify whether this constructive solution incorporates the mechanisms and strategies proper to the dialectic between structure and enclosure. It puts forward the hypothesis that the constructive solution analyzed may be considered a paradigmatic -or model- example of the interaction between the two subsystems (structural and delimiting) that compose this tectonic model, given the singular confrontation it proposes. Most of the elements analyzed were lost after the profound remodelingand expansion of the Muziekcentrum carried out by Hertzberger himself. The present study is based on original sketches, historical photographic material, written sources and an interview with the author himself, with the unpublished execution project documentation providing the most relevant evidence.
This article analyses how architectural space is transformed through collective use when disused buildings are occupied and appropriated for cultural purposes. Focusing on three European case studies - Mercato Sonato in Bologna, Plantage Dok in Amsterdam and Kunstverein Wagenhallen in Stuttgart - it explores how organised groups reprogram spaces and reconfigure their uses. The methodology combines direct observation, interviews, and documentary analysis to enable the collection of empirical evidence on processes of use and transformation. The analysis adopts an interactionist perspective, as proposed by the sociologist ErvingGoffman, in which spatial boundaries are considered to be social constructions that evolve through use and become established through practice. The results highlight the emergence ofan architecture of use, in which spatial configuration arises organically from collective social dynamics rather than from preconceived designs. These coordinated transformations, which are often underestimated, produce alternative and coherent spatial logics that are sustainable and effective in reactivating structures that have been discarded by the system and their surroundings. This evidence suggests the potential for rethinking the conceptual frameworks ofarchitectural production by incorporating social factors into design processes.
Something Completely Different. Architecture in Belgium, del crítico Christophe Van Gerrewey, ofrece una exploración aguda y precisa de la arquitectura belga como reflejo de los procesos de modernización en Occidente desde el siglo XIX. En lugar de presentar un catálogo de proyectos ejemplares, el autor construye una historiografía crítica a través de siete ensayos temáticos, cada uno con su propia lógica interna y cronología. Estos capítulos abordan cuestiones que trascienden los límites disciplinarios y nacionales, como la dispersión urbana, el auge del automóvil, la industrialización de la vivienda o la actual conciencia ecológica.Apoyándose en pensadores como Geert Bekaert, Charles Baudelaire y Walter Benjamin, Van Gerrewey plantea que Bélgica puede entenderse como un laboratorio revelador de los dilemas contemporáneos de la arquitectura. La presencia de arquitectos como XDGA, Architecten De Vylder Vinck Taillieu, OFFICE kgdvs y Rotor convierte este libro en una lectura esencial para quienes buscan entender el contexto cultural e histórico detrás de estas reconocidas prácticas belgas.
