Architect speaks at AUS

Caroline Bos, an architect, co-founder and principal urban planner of Amsterdam-based International Practice UNStudio, delivered a lecture entitled "Looking for Trouble" at American University of Sharjah (AUS) on Tuesday, October 9, in the College of Architecture, Art and Design.

Bos' lecture focused on a variety of topics including her projects completed with UNStudio such as the Erasmus Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge in Rotterdam, the Arnhem Train Station, and the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

"We have always been trouble-shooters in the field of architecture, which is why we got our break in the profession. That's why we 'look for trouble,' as we find the problems we have to solve, and come up with a solution," said Bos. "We have done studies on the most important factors of why people use public spaces and what their needs are. Three important factors are how public something is, its accessibility, and time."

"In the time of modernism in the early 20th century, different architectural systems were put on top each other with no logic. In a more digital age, separation of architectural systems is completely obsolete. We shouldn't have to think anymore in different systems, but we should have a complex and more integrative view of them," she added. The presentation concluded with a question and answer session.

Caroline Bos studied history of art at London University's Birbeck College (1970). She later obtained a master's degree in architecture at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After first working as a journalist, in 1988, together with Ben van Berkel, she founded Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau in Amsterdam where she became an internal critic, writing descriptions of future projects. In 1998, the name of the firm was changed to UNStudio (UN standing for United Network), a network of experts in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. As of March 2012, the firm had a staff of 153 from 17 countries and had completed 69 projects. Bos has been involved in all of these, working with the various project teams.