Genius Loci Amsterdam (GLA) assists clients in identifying the potential of a location (Loci). The value of a location lies not only in what we can perceive, but also in its history, traditions, customs, and the way in which it is stored in the mental map of its residents.
GLA seeks out these backgrounds and brings them to the fore, making them discussable and usable when considering new developments. It does this by asking people who can contribute. These may be the current residents. Their oral history is important.
We can initiate a design-based study in which solution directions are selected through sketching.
Genius Loci Amsterdam was established in 2019.
What you can expect:
You can expect to meet an experienced architect/urban planner who has been involved in many different challenging projects in recent years. This has resulted in a wealth of experience and an ever-increasing humility in the way you can approach complex work. They have learned that a solution or vision can sometimes come from a completely different angle. That there are sometimes very special aspects to be found that are not immediately apparent. That residents themselves sometimes have the best ideas. That it is sometimes better to think twice before starting the design process.
We will talk to you to listen and see if GLA can be of service to you and in what way. If so, we will agree on how in-depth you want to go, what your budget is and how urgent your needs are. We can then be of service to you in various ways. With texts, drawings, stories, a film or research. All in the service of a design assignment. This can then be given to a designer with the research material provided by GLA. The advantage of this is that it delays the moment when a designer starts thinking in a particular direction. We know from our own experience that designers start thinking about a solution as soon as they see a problem. That’s just how our brains work. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to start by clearly defining the assignment.
Consider how the Belvedère Memorandum of the RCE portrayed the values of the Dutch landscape at the time.
