UTRECHT MANIFEST - TRANSFORMING RIETVELD
October 2010
Utrecht, Holland
Utrecht Manifest explores the development of contemporary design from a socio-political perspective. This also applies to modernism from the beginning of the last century, of which Utrecht born architect- designer Gerrit Rietveld was a figurehead; a sort of leitmotif. Although the relevance of design for society and the economy over previous years is getting more attention, the link between the cultural sphere and that of everyday society is obvious at the moment.
An integral part of Utrecht Manifest 2009 was Hoograven Invites You, a research project in social urban design under the direction of the architects Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner. For this, an investigation was carried out into the development opportunities of the Utrecht district of Hoograven: the only area to contain social housing that Gerrit Rietveld designed. The buildings are divided into three groups, so-called repetitive blocks [‘stempels’] of 194 dwellings each. One block has already been restored to its original state and the other two are waiting for reconstruction.
