Submitted by WA Contents
Francine Houben was interviewed for Dutch newspaper Het Financieel Dagblad
United Kingdom Architecture News - Aug 15, 2014 - 09:47 2146 views
Francine Houben was interviewed for Dutch newspaper Het Financieel Dagblad about a Lieu de Mémoire, a place that has special meaning to her as an entrepreneur.
Talking about the Mekelpark in Delft she describes how it facilitates students and staff from different faculties to meet and exchange ideas. In her opinion, it is the duty of architects to bring all disciplines together.
“I am a strong advocate of what I call the integral art of engineering. Early on the process, I want to start collaborating with everyone: from specialists in aerodynamic s to physicists and civil engineers. It really improves the design.”
At Mekelpark Francine Houben reflects on her youth, when she would have to move every three years because of her father’s job. “It taught me to observe, to react to people, places and landscapes."
Before she starts sketching designs, she wanders around endlessly, taking in the dominant direction of the wind, where the sun rises and sets, and the local social conditions. “A design should not just be beautiful, but also very good.”
> via Mecanoo