
Partner, and Architect, Fokke Moerel directs MVRDV’s Studio Public, a unit within the office that focuses primarily on projects that have a dedicated urban impact. These include public, and cultural buildings, as well as transformations of monumental buildings that endeavour to revive their immediate urban context. To this end, the office’s interior design team is also within Studio Public, generating a strong relationship between interior and exterior public program. A clear example of this is the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, which Moerel is leading. As a fully publicly accessible art depot, it opens its doors to the public in 2021, bringing all visitors into a close connection with renowned masterpieces, and with the city. In addition to this, Moerel has lead award-winning designs such as the Baltyk office tower in Poznan, Poland, the Book Mountain Library in Spijkenisse, and the Lloyd Hotel & Cultural Embassy in Amsterdam. Based on 5 projects, this lecture will explore what a resilient building can do for public life and social matters.