kruh jaro 2025 - Adriaan Geuze, West 8

The spring part of the cycle Kra/jiná II will be opened by the founder of the studio West 8 Adriaan Geuze, who established the studio in Rotterdam in 1987. In a lecture titled Landscape, City, and Infrastructure, he will present unique approaches to integrating landscape architecture, urbanism, and infrastructure. He will demonstrate how functional urban spaces can be created using a landscape and narrative approach that not only meets the needs of transportation and technical infrastructure but also restores the connection between the city, landscape, and community. Using specific examples, such as the Río Park in Madrid, the landscape modifications around the station in Rotterdam, and the project of the Main Station in Brno, he will illustrate the principles that contribute to sustainable development and strengthening the identity of places.

West 8 emphasizes active landscape management, inspired by Dutch culture, and typically employs bold lighting, metal structures, and sensitive color schemes in its projects. Their realization of the modifications around the main station in Rotterdam has brought a radical transformation, including infrastructural logistics and public transport, the construction of new parts, and the creation of public squares. The reconstruction provided space for gatherings and organically integrated the main station into the surrounding city with consideration for safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists.

Adriaan Geuze is the founder and director of three branches of West 8 in Rotterdam, North America, and Brussels, and has over 35 years of experience in landscape architecture, urbanism, and infrastructure solutions. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in the Netherlands and abroad. He regularly lectures and teaches at various institutions worldwide. Under his direction, West 8 has realized over two hundred projects in three decades. Many of these projects have emerged from significant international design competitions, including: Governors Island in New York, the Madrid RIO park in Spain, the Toronto waterfront in Canada, and the Jubilee Gardens modifications in London. For his work, he has received numerous awards, including the Dutch Prix de Rome, the Maaskant Prize, the Oeuvre Prize for architecture awarded by the Mondriaan Fund, the ARC Oeuvre Award, and the ULI Netherlands Leadership Award. Among international accolades, he stands out for the Veronica Rudge Green Prize for Urban Design (Harvard Design School). He is also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). In 2022, Geuze was appointed Professor of Landscape Architecture at Delft University of Technology and became the holder of the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award, the most prestigious accolade in landscape architecture and the highest honor bestowed by the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA).
 
The lecture will be conducted in English.

The lecture is part of the lifelong learning program of the Czech Chamber of Architects.
After the lecture, at 21:00, there will be a special screening of the film DEPOT – Reflecting Boijmans, presented as part of the Film and Architecture festival’s echoes. A separate ticket must be purchased for the screening, or a discounted entry can be utilized as part of a subscription.

Organized by: Kruh z.s.
Under the auspices of: Czech Chamber of Architects
Project supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague, State Cultural Fund, Czech Architecture Foundation, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Prague 1 Municipal District.