Concessionless creationism ... a plea

ir. Gabriel Bosch

Co-owner of 1618 Realty BV. 

The leitmotif of our company is beauty, enclosed in the skill of creating value. On the one hand, we give heritage a new life and, on the other, we create the monuments of the future. Right through that, we have the conviction that nothing is as sustainable as positive exploitation. 

The occasion for this column is the two buildings STAAL and Building X, recently completed by 1618 Vastgoed. STAAL is an apartment complex with a hot-dip galvanized steel skin and Building X is an office building with straw-filled HSB internal cavity walls with Corten steel facade cassettes. Both projects are in Deventer and are a stone's throw from each other, namely in the Havenkwartier and on the site of De Gasfabriek.

In my current construction practice, I experience quite a few bumps and growing discomfort. Conflicting interests, an increasing number of hoops to jump through, vacillating policies and a proliferation of rules and regulations. Perhaps this is a sign of the times. Many professions recognize themselves in this picture, and the odds of it normalizing are not too high. This is not a pleasant prospect. Not just for myself, but in particular I am referring to the future generation of construction professionals. How can they ever again excel in the profession? And by the profession, I mean, create architecturally outstanding buildings of excellent building quality?

I reluctantly accept this new reality. If you cannot directly influence it yourself, resistance seems hopeless. But you can, of course, speak out against it. If necessary, we go to the barricade. Brothers in the profession in the Low Countries, unite. The profession must not develop into the mere repetitive generation of standardized and accredited solutions. This leads to an enormous impoverishment of the living environment.

Right now, if you still dare to work with steel, concrete and brick, you are easily a climate denier. The ecological consequences of building are great and bio-based and circular have become the new norm and selection criteria. A positive development, for sure. After all, the earth is not an inexhaustible resource. But it takes some getting used to. The material properties of traditional building materials are not so easily replaced by biological building products. Wood is not steel and loam is not concrete. It limits the language of form and at the same time it should stimulate creativity to develop a new style. Scarcity makes creative.

Reuse of buildings and materials is a logical choice toward efficient use of scarce resources. In our collective building challenge, research has shown that there are not enough vacant buildings and circular raw materials to meet demand. Biobased materials partially fill that gap. Recycling materials such as glass, concrete and steel prevents further depletion of the earth. Especially if recycling can be produced with sustainably extracted energy. However, I am convinced that we cannot do without mineral resources entirely. Either we have to reduce our collective building program. Given the high demand for housing, that is not a desirable scenario.

Brothers in the field and up-and-coming talent, what I want to say is this: make fantastic buildings of excellent quality, which appeal to the imagination and where people want to live and work. Space is our domain and we will not let it be destroyed by man-made and often unnecessary restrictions. Build the monuments of the future. Because good buildings will always be preserved and nothing is as sustainable as reuse. Be a warrior of the built environment!