The Artificial Landscape

The architecture & architectural culture of the Netherlands have been causing quite a stir in recent years: a great many remarkable new buildings & projects testify to the current flowering in Dutch architecture, urban planning, & landscaping that's so exciting to so many in & out of the field. Artificial Landscape illustrates the results of this late twentieth century surge of creativity & traces the background of its success, examining both the 'Dutch phenomenon' & its socio-historical context to find out what makes it work so well. What we find is that even in a period of globalization there is still such a thing as a Dutch 'climate,' yet despite this culture's specific national character we have much to learn from it, particularly where its unique synthesis of architecture, urbanism, & landscaping is concerned. This exciting movement is represented by a selection of designs, built works, ideas, plans & manifestoes from such architects & firms as OMA/Rem Koolhas, Neutelings Riedijk, MVRDV, Maurice Nio, & Max 1, to name only a few. Apart from recording the state of things in Dutch architecture, Artificial Landscape also serves as a survey of contemporary architectural criticism, collecting the most important critiques of Dutch architecture, urban planning, & landscape architecture to have appeared in recent years.Ibelings, Hans is the author of 'The Artificial Landscape', published 2003 under ISBN 9789056621667 and ISBN 9056621661.