Uit de Kunst: Francine Houben lecture at The Dutch Academy of Arts

Francine Houben, member of The Dutch Society of Arts, is one of the invited members to participate in the Uit de Kunst lecture series that will take place on February 19th, at the Amsterdam Public Library. The event will be hosted by Andrea van Pol.

Francine will share the stories behind Mecanoo’s high-profile library designs, from the iconic Library at the Delft University of Technology and the Library of Birmingham, to the Mid-Manhattan Library in New York and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington D.C., USA.

In her vision, each project should be carefully considered in terms of its cultural setting, location and time. Designs which are embedded within their context will be those that contribute to the happiness and wellbeing of the people who use them.

Francine Houben, Hon. FAIA, Hon. FRIAC, is the founding partner and creative director of Mecanoo Architecten. Her work ranges from theatres, museums and libraries to neighbourhoods, housing and parks. Selected works include Delft University of Technology Library, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, and the renovation of the New York Public Library Midtown Campus.

She has received Honorary Doctorates from Utrecht University and Université de Mons (UMons) and was granted lifelong membership to the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. In 2015, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands presented her the prestigious Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prize for her entire oeuvre.

The lecture starts at 19:00h.
Sign up for this event at Akademie van Kunsten.