2007
Power: Producing the Contemporary City
3rd International Achitecture Biennale Rotterdam
On September 2, the 3rd International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam closed its doors. The four main exhibitions – Visionary Power, The New Dutch City, A Better World/Another Power and Form and the City – at the Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Dutch Architecture Institute (NAI) and the Maashavengebouw received 77.500 visitors, an increase of more than 30% compared to 2005.
The Berlage Institute curated this 3rd biennale edition that focused on urbanization and had as its theme: ”POWER: Producing the Contemporary City”.
Every single day over 150,000 people migrate to the city. The need for architects and urban planners to project and think ahead is urgent. This sense of urgency was the ultimate message of a biennale that successfully acted as a platform for young contemporary architects with a plan, with the will to grasp control of the idea of the city again, and respond to a call-to-arms for advocacy and real engagement in the urban process.
Biennale director George Brugmans is optimistic: “The great success of this edition has resulted in an even stronger support for the future of this research oriented biennale that wants to function as an international platform for all related parties: architects, urban planners, academics, politicians, administrators and market parties. So we’re delighted that Kees Christiaanse has accepted to be the next edition’s curator; he is the ideal choice given our decision to continue to focus on the future of the city and the issues raised by unbridled urbanization.”
