Publications
Making Futures: Utopias, Projections and Bombs of the Avant-Garde
Historic avant-garde works, including Gerrit Rietveld’s model for the Rietveld Schröder House, function as aesthetic technologies or 'time machines' that condition audiences to perceive the future differently. This study shifts focus from Western scholars to underrepresented Cold War theorists—Andrzej Turowski, Aleksandar Flaker, and Juri Lotman—to analyze how avant-garde artifacts shape phenomenological encounters with time. By modeling alternative futures, these works challenge conventional temporal narratives, while Rietveld’s design underscores the need for historical contextualization to understand both projected and realized futures. The research bridges theoretical speculation with material history, revealing the avant-garde's enduring influence on futurity.
Art and Architecture
A comparative analysis of art and architecture reveals three distinct creative methods—Chiaroscuro, Analytique Drawing Method, and Palimpsest Collage—that can enhance the representation and design of built environments. The study examines artistic characteristics such as layers, space, balance, and hierarchy through case studies, including the Rietveld Schröder House (Utrecht, Netherlands), the Glass House (New Canaan, Connecticut), the Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain), and an unbuilt mausoleum by Philip Johnson. By identifying common features between art and architecture, this research provides actionable strategies for architectural design and offers self-guided exercises to stimulate imaginative and representational skills.
Part to Whole
Architectural projects employing modular or discrete parts to achieve expressive wholes, such as the Rietveld Schröder House and contemporary designs like the Hemeroscopium House, demonstrate that joints, edges, and modules can serve as key aesthetic and functional elements. This approach, rooted in tectonic principles inspired by Kenneth Frampton's work, highlights how prefabrication, construction sequences, and on-site logistics shape modular architectures. The study underscores the potential of part-to-whole logics to redefine architectural expression while addressing practical constraints like transportation and assembly.
To nie jest muza. Rola klientki w domu Rietveld Schröder
A groundbreaking case study challenges traditional narratives by highlighting the active role of female patron Truus Schröder in shaping the Rietveld Schröder House, a seminal work of modern architecture. This research shifts focus from the celebrated architect Gerrit Rietveld to Schröder’s agency and influence, offering a template for re-evaluating similar collaborations between female patrons and architects. The study employs qualitative analysis, drawing on historical documents and archival materials to reconsider gendered dynamics in architectural design. Originally published in 1996, this essay has since been republished in significant works, underscoring its enduring relevance in architectural discourse.
Una mirada al infinito: casas E-1027 y Malaparte.
This comparative analysis reveals striking parallels between two iconic seaside architectures: Eileen Gray's Casa E-1027 (Roquebrune, 1926–29) and Adalberto Libera's Casa Malaparte (Capri, 1938). Both structures demonstrate a profound fusion with their maritime environments, transcending conventional architectural categorization. Gray's design, rooted in Neoplasticism and the Modern Movement, mirrors the functional precision of Rietveld's Schröder House while integrating Mediterranean vernacular elements. Libera's work, conversely, embodies Surrealist and Rationalist influences, symbolically merging with the Capri landscape through bold formal rigor and a de Chirico-like interplay of light and horizon. The study highlights their shared sensitivity to detail, functionality, and unconventional design approaches, underscoring how both architects challenged architectural norms while harmonizing with extraordinary coastal settings.
Historical building protection and modern functional renovation practice
A successful balance between preserving historical integrity and modernizing functionality was demonstrated through the renovation of Rietveld Schröder House. The study analyzed structural protection measures and internal space transformations, evaluating their effectiveness using questionnaires and quantitative methods. Results showed that such renovations can significantly enhance a building's aesthetic value, functional adaptability, and socio-cultural benefits without compromising its historical significance. This approach offers a model for integrating contemporary needs with heritage conservation in similar contexts.
Digital Colour: A Semi-Technical Reflection
A critical exploration of digital colour's role in contemporary architecture reveals its untapped potential and the need for a semi-technical approach to understand its architectural effects. While canonical projects like Rietveld Schröder House and Casa Luis Barragán have highlighted chromatic uniqueness, discussions on colour in architecture often overlook digital/electronic colour despite its proliferation in screens and electronic light. This essay synthesizes reflections on digital colour and architectural media from a techno-social perspective, emphasizing the feedback loop between perception and technics to critically analyze its role in design. It combines theoretical analysis with elementary technical knowledge, offering a cohesive understanding of how digital colour influences contemporary architectural practices.
Mrs. Schröder-Schräder, Gerrit Rietveld and Their Collaborative House in Utrecht. The Origins of the Creation and the Transformation of Form and Function of the Building over the Years
The Rietveld-Schröder House exemplifies the dynamic interplay between architecture and personal preference. This study reveals that Truus Schröder-Schräder's desire for open spaces with abundant light significantly influenced the house's spatial layout during its design phase in 1925. Through analysis of historical literature and photographs, researchers traced the evolution of the building's form and function over nearly a century, highlighting how Schröder's living preferences shaped its innovative architecture. The research underscores the collaborative nature of the house's creation, where Schröder's personal vision and Rietveld's architectural expertise converged to produce a landmark that continues to redefine modernist design.
Building cognition through material engagement
The Rietveld Schröder House exemplifies adaptive building cognition through its dynamic interaction with occupants. This study reveals that the house's highly adaptable space plan, designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1924, allows for continuous reconfiguration by its inhabitants, challenging traditional notions of architectural autonomy and agency. By employing a material engagement approach, the research explores the shared agency between the building—now a museum—and its occupants, notably Truus Schröder, who lived there for 60 years. This case study serves as a precursor to contemporary robotic architecture, offering insights into how buildings can engage with their users in ways that redefine cognition and adaptability in design.
Regarding De Stijl Through a Gender Perspective
A notable oversight in the history of De Stijl, the influential Dutch avant-garde movement, has been corrected: its female members. While the movement is often depicted as male-dominated, women such as Nelly van Doesburg, Mathilda Brugman, Marjorie Moss, and Han Schröder played significant roles. Han Schröder, daughter of Truus Schröder (co-designer of the UNESCO-listed Rietveld-Schröder House), was a pioneering architect in the Netherlands who later became a professor in the U.S. This study highlights her contributions, challenging the narrative that women were absent from De Stijl's legacy.
Authenticiteit, een geloofwaardig begrip?
Authenticity, as a concept for UNESCO World Heritage Sites, can retain its credibility if it is clearly defined within the cultural context of each site. The study examines two Dutch Modern Movement landmarks—the Rietveld Schröder House (1924) and the Van Nelle Factory (1925–1931)—to assess whether the broadening interpretation of 'design authenticity' risks rendering the term arbitrary. While both sites emphasize design authenticity, the analysis suggests that authenticity remains a meaningful quality when grounded in specific cultural frameworks. This aligns with UNESCO’s requirement for 'Outstanding Universal Values,' integrality, and authenticity in World Heritage criteria.
The Restorations of the Rietveld Schröder House. A Reflection
Recent research on the Rietveld Schröder House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only private home among Netherlands' listed sites, reveals that remnants of original plaster and finishing coats from Gerrit T. Rietveld's design periods were discovered during a restoration project. These findings offer potential starting points for future material research to inform more accurate restorations. The study, funded by the Getty Foundation, employed archival research, technical analysis, and oral history to evaluate past restoration efforts led by architect Bertus Mulder in the 1970s–80s. Key challenges included the lack of preserved samples or documentation from earlier restorations, which hindered verification of original materials and color schemes. The research reflects on the complexities of authenticity in restoration work, advocating for a holistic approach that considers multiple aspects such as historiography, the house's association with De Stijl, Truus Schröder's role, and its occupational history.
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