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title

Material Chariots

Speaker

Paul Vermeulen De Smet Vermeulen architecten

Material references play a vital role in the collaborative work of architects. At the office of De Smet Vermeulen architects in Ghent, chariots are used to expose samples of materials and combine them into palettes.

The main idea is that the materials stay on display for the duration of the project in order to facilitate material decisions. The chariots are part and parcel of the design process.

As the office only has three chariots but more ongoing projects, each chariot carries more than one palette of materials. Complementary samples often lie on the floor. As a result, different project palettes tend to melt together, creating new sources of inspiration.

This object will be presented at the TACK Conference in the object session SHAPERS, 21 June 2023 between 14:30 – 15:45 (CEST) at ETH Zürich (Auditorium HPV G5).

Submitted by
Paul Vermeulen is an architect, writer, and founding partner of the Ghent-based office, De Smet Vermeulen architecten. He is a professor at TU Delft, leading the chair of Urban Architecture. In 2011 he was awarded the Flemish Culture Prize (Architecture) for his contribution to architecture, its culture, and its criticism.