Francine Houben

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Francine Houben (2015)

Francine Marie Jeanne Houben (born July 2, 1955 in Sittard ) is a Dutch architect. She graduated with honors from Delft University of Technology . She is the founding partner and creative director of Mecanoo architecten based in Delft .

life and work

The oeuvre of Houben's architecture is diverse and includes projects such as universities, libraries, theaters, residential areas, museums and hotels. Houben combines the disciplines of architecture , urban planning and landscape architecture . According to her biography on the website of her office, “Her work is based on a precise analysis paired with an intuition that has been built up over three decades [by intertwining] social, technical, playful and human aspects of interior design to create a unique solution for every architectural To create a challenge ”. Francine strives to design architecture that “appeals to all the senses” and notes that

“[Architecture] is never a [purely] intellectual, conceptual or visual consideration alone. Architecture is about combining all the individual elements into a single concept. In the end it is the arrangement of form and emotion that counts. Architecture should touch all the senses. "

Houben focuses on designing holistic buildings that cover a wide variety of project programs.

Her work is particularly known for the design of libraries. The Delft University of Technology library, completed in 1997, led to the Birmingham Library in 2013, and the recent renovation of the Martin Luther King Jr.Memorial Library in Washington, DC and the renovation of the New York Public Library Midtown (Mid-Manhattan Library and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building), New York.

She has spoken at length about libraries and public buildings, explaining that

"Libraries are the most important public buildings, as cathedrals were many years ago"

She has gained international recognition for her works, both in architecture and literature. Her latest building is the Library of Birmingham (2013), which was one of six buildings shortlisted for the 2014 Stirling Prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). When Architects' Journal voted her Architect of the Year 2014, Houben said: “It was a great privilege to design the Birmingham Library. Architecture is about teamwork, about being supportive and visionary at the same time. Women are particularly good at that. "

Francine Houben held professorships in the Netherlands and abroad and was visiting professor at Harvard University in 2007 . In 1981 she and two fellow students won the Rotterdam Youth Houses competition. From 2002 to 2006 she was the city architect of Almere . In 2001 she published her manifesto on architecture: 'Composition, Contrast, Complexity' and, as curator of the First International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam in 2003, brought the topic of the aesthetics of mobility to the forefront of international design consciousness. In 2008, Houben received the Prix ​​Veuve Clicquot of the Netherlands for the professional organization of her company as Businesswoman of the Year.

In 2010, Francine Houben was granted lifelong membership in the Akademie der Künste , architecture department, in Berlin . In November 2015, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands presented Houben with the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prize for her work. Francine has published books and has traveled to numerous universities to give lectures about her studies and practice. Her most recent summary is "People, place, purpose, poetry: with these four words Francine Houben illustrates the unique, humanistic approach of her practice in architecture". In 2016 she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Delft .

Works (selection)

  • Faculty of Economics and Management, Utrecht (1995)
  • Library of the Delft University of Technology, Delft (1997)
  • Dutch Open Air Museum, Arnhem (2000)
  • Westergasfabriek Terrain, Amsterdam (2001)
  • Master plan of the Technical University of Delft (2002)
  • Montevideo, Rotterdam (2005)
  • FiftyTwoDegrees , Nijmegen (2007)
  • La Llotja Theater and Congress Center, Lleida (2008)
  • Amphiontheater, Doetinchem (2009)
  • Kaap Skil, Museum for Seafaring and Beach Pirates, Texel (2012)
  • University College Amsterdam, Amsterdam (2012)
  • Birmingham Library integrated with the Birmingham Repertory Theater, Birmingham (2013)
  • HOME, Manchester (2015)
  • Bruce C. Bolling Townhouse, Boston (2015)
  • Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam (2015)
  • Taekwang Country Club Cafe, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (2015)
  • Municipal offices and train station, Delft, Netherlands (2015/2017)
  • Keukenhof, Lisse, Netherlands (2017)
  • Namdaemun office building, Seoul, South Korea (2017)
  • Eurojust (EU Agency), The Hague, Netherlands (2017)
  • Palace of Justice, Cordoba, Spain (2017)
  • National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, Kaohsiung (2018)
  • Three cultural centers & a book fair, Shenzhen (2018)
  • Manchester Engineering Campus Development, Manchester (ongoing)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Renovation, Washington DC (ongoing)
  • European Investment Bank, Luxembourg (ongoing)
  • Kaohsiung Railway Station, Kaohsiung (ongoing)
  • New York Public Library Midtown Renovation, New York (ongoing)
  • Shenzhen North Station Urban Design, Shenzhen (ongoing)
  • Tainan Public Library, Tainan (ongoing)

gallery

  • Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building
    Boston , USA

  • Municipal Offices and Train Station
    Delft, Netherlands

  • Library of Birmingham
    Birmingham , UK

  • Kaap Skil, Maritime and Beachcombers Museum
    Oudeschild , The Netherlands

  • Nelson Mandela Park
    Amsterdam-Zuidoost, Netherlands

  • La Llotja Theater and Conference Center
    Lleida , Spain

  • FiftyTwoDegrees
    Nijmegen , Netherlands

  • Montevideo Residential Tower
    Rotterdam , Netherlands

  • Chapel Saint Mary of the Angels
    Rotterdam, Netherlands

  • Delft University of Technology Library
    Delft, The Netherlands

  • Mekel Park , Delft University of Technology
    Delft, The Netherlands

  • National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts
    Kaohsiung , Taiwan

Selected awards and honors

Other functions

literature

  • People Place Purpose , Francine Houben. London: Black Dog Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-1-908967-61-9 .
  • Dutch Mountains , Francine Houben, Jan Tromp, Harry Cock. Wezep: Uitgeverij de Kunst, 2011, ISBN 978-94-91196-00-3 .
  • Masters of Architecture Series, Mecanoo , Ruud Brouwer, Aaron Betsky, Francine Houben. Mulgrave, Vic .: Images Publishing Group, 2008, ISBN 978-1-86470-142-5 .
  • En het eeuwige licht light hair, Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels , Francine Houben, Mgr. AH van Luyn SDB, Jan van Adrichem, Max van Rooy. Rotterdam, 2004
  • Mobility, A Room with a View , Francine Houben, Louisa Maria Calabrese (ed.). Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2003, ISBN 978-90-5662-257-2 .
  • Composition, Contrast, Complexity , Francine Houben. Basel, Boston, Berlin: Birkhaüser, 2001, ISBN 978-3-7643-6452-6 , translated from Dutch Compositie, Contrast, Complexiteit, Francine Houben. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2001, ISBN 90-5662-190-4 .
  • Maliebaan, een huis om in te werken , Francine Houben. Utrecht: Andersson Elffers Felix / Delft: Mecanoo architecten, 2000, ISBN 90-90-13900-1 .
  • Ingenieurskunst en mobiliteitsesthetiek, Francine Houben in: Architectuur en de openbare ruimte, de dynamic delta 2 , Ministry for Transport, Public Works and Water Management / Mecanoo architecten. The Hague, 1999
  • Bibliotheek Technische Universiteit Delft , Leo Waaijers, Piet Vollaart, Francine Houben. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1998, ISBN 90-6450-335-4 .

Web links

Commons : Francine Houben  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Francine Houben. In: mecanoo.nl. Retrieved January 8, 2020 .
  2. ^ Biography of the architect: Francine Houben Mecanoo. In: floornature.com. Retrieved January 8, 2020 .
  3. ^ Transformation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. In: dclibrary.org. October 7, 2019, accessed January 8, 2020 .
  4. ^ "Libraries are the most important public buildings" - Francine Houben. In: dezeen.com. August 29, 2013, accessed January 8, 2020 .
  5. ^ RIBA Stirling Prize: Library of Birmingham misses out on award. In: birminghammail.co.uk. October 21, 2014, accessed January 8, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Laura Mark: Mecanoo's Francine Houben crowned Woman Architect of the Year 2014. In: architectsjournal.co.uk. February 7, 2014, accessed January 9, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Houben. In: adk.de. July 2, 1955, accessed January 9, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Ucl: Francine Houben - Bartlett International Lecture Series. In: ucl.ac.uk. January 10, 2019, accessed January 8, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Houben, Francine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Houben, Francine Marie Jeanne
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch architect
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd July 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Sittard