In A10 #59 (September/October 2014), read about one office’s optimistic approach to a detention facility for asylum seekers in Vordernberg (AT), preview the first outlines in realizing a composer’s legacy, and see the new wooden extension to an existing art museum, designed by a Spanish-Finnish collaboration. Also in this issue, find out why the Dutch are so introspective these days, explore the eclectic and erratic capital of Bucharest, discover hidden hi-tech solutions in OMA's colossal De Rotterdam, WWAA's Natalia Paskowszka talks about the freedom of flexibility, and much more – including what it means to be stripped-down in Germany…

Eurovision: Netherlands

Changes within financial markets, state policies, the architectural profession and a more self-aware society have demanded a new attitude from architects in the Netherlands – even before the financial crisis in 2008 made it clear that the concept of ‘Super Dutch’ needed an overhaul. Having embarked on a thorough search for a new rhetoric, the Dutch are not yet at that point in time where solutions can begin to be discussed. In a conversation with three of the nation's leading men – Nanne de Ru (Powerhouse Company), Guus Beumer (The New Institute) and Wouter Vanstiphout (TU Delft) – we learn that even they are not prepared to do this, something which shows just how fundamental the collective Dutch conceptual and intellectual crisis in architecture actually appears to be. The good news is that this instalment of Eurovision, guest-edited by Saskia van Stein of Bureau Europa, offers ample insight regarding the most crucial areas of debate, not to mention where and how architects are themselves taking responsibility.

Interchange: Natalia Paskowszka

WWAA stands for Warsaw Architects, but a lot of their work currently takes place in Qatar. The office itself is located in KOMIN 73 ('Factory Chimney 73'), a revitalized post-industrial complex, where activities ranging from design, graphic art, photography and fashion, to web and parametric design, 3D mapping and animation also reside. In the summer, an outdoor terrace hosts informal events. Natalia Paskowszka, co-founder of WWAA, reflects upon the office's initial years and the bright future that lies ahead. 'Luckily, our first project was temporary.'

Hide-tech tactics

Locals call it the 'Colossus of Koolhaas'. But architect Rem Koolhaas himself describes De Rotterdam – with 160,000 m2 of apartments, offices, hotel rooms and leisure facilities, the largest building in the Netherlands – as a vertical city. We see a sculpture of glass and steel, but behind it hides a complicated infrastructure that regulates the metabolism of this 'city'. A10 correspondent Kirsten Hannema reports on the hidden world behind the grillwork.

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