This event will be conducted in-person in The Great Hall and through Zoom. 

For in-person attendance, please register in advance here. 
For Zoom attendance, please register in advance here.

Studio Anne Holtrop researches the interplay between matter and space, shaped by evolving environmental factors such as climate and geology. Models serve as essential tools in this research, prioritizing material processes and decision-making over predetermined outcomes. The practice focuses on the interconnectedness of sites, encompassing the sourcing of materials, production locations, and construction sites.

In this lecture, Anne Holtrop will outline five key topics: “A Possible Architecture,” “Gestures,” “Matter to Matter,” “Spaces between Matter,” and “Change.” Through these themes, Holtrop will illustrate the transformation of matter, with a particular emphasis on glass, cast aluminum, and silver leaf. Embracing change and ambiguity in architecture, Holtrop advocates for multiple interpretations and an adaptive approach that responds to the ever-changing nature of the environment.

Anne Holtrop, studied Architecture in Amsterdam and established his own practice in 2009. Since 2014, his primary studio has been based in Muharraq, Bahrain, where he resides.

Currently, Holtrop holds the position of titular professor at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio in Switzerland. Previously, he served as a professor at the ETH Zurich and directed the master Studio for Immediate Spaces at the Rietveld Academy Amsterdam. In 2007, he was awarded the Charlotte Köhler Prize for Architecture by the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation. In 2016, he received the Iakov Chernikhov International Prize, and in 2020, the Aga Khan Award.

In 2015, the first two major buildings, Museum Fort Vechten, as part of the largest UNESCO-listed heritage site in the Netherlands, and the National Pavilion of Bahrain for the Milan Expo 2015, were completed. More recently realised are the Green Corner Building in Muharraq and the Siyadi Pearl Museum as part of the UNESCO-listed heritage site The Pearling Path. The studio has completed new stores worldwide for Maison Margiela, including flagship stores in London, Paris, Osaka, and Shanghai, and is currently under construction in Riyadh the new Misk Art Institute.

The work of the studio, as well as Anne Holtrop’s teaching and research outcomes from his professorships, are presented and collected internationally in biennales and institutions, such as at the first Sharjah Architecture Triennial, the Seoul Architecture Biennial, Frac Le Plateau, the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennial, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Qatar Museums.

The 2G monograph series dedicated its 73rd issue to Studio Anne Holtrop in 2016. In 2020, “Site, Matter, Gesture” by El Croquis was published, showcasing the practice’s ongoing research and work. 

This event is free and open to the public.