Building Narratives

• Examines narratives as rigorous drivers of design rather than mere storytelling devices
• Provides detailed insight into three KAAN Architecten projects that reflect changing architectural practice in the Netherlands and beyond
• Connects to ongoing research from the 'Activating Design' initiative at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture

Building Narratives proposes design as a communications engine and enabler of collaboration, as opposed to the traditional understanding of a mere outcome. Architectural design is both an inventory and a curated representation of the available knowledge about a project. The book highlights three significant projects from the oeuvre of KAAN Architecten as protagonists of these shifts, including SPOT redevelopment, New Amsterdam Courthouse and the Schiphol Terminal competition, taking place amid neoliberal developments, financial crises and the digital revolution. Each project emerges from distinct conditions and gives an account of the changing role of design as means of communication under the themes of negotiation, integration and activation.

Building Narratives invites architects, urban designers, students and decision-makers to embrace design as a a communications engine and reflect on the ever-changing practice of architecture.