Scheduled for 2012

Winy Maas, Felix Madrazo, Alexander Sverdlov, The Why Factory (eds.)

Design:Thonik/BENG, Illustrated (colour and b/w), Paperback, 352 pages, size: 15 x 21 cm
English edition, ISBN 978-90-5662-766-9, € 35.00

In association with MVRDV, The Why Factory and Delft University of Technology

The Why Factory makes space for free time. With its flexible working hours, cheap flights to every far-off corner of the planet and the possibility of downloading all the films, TV programmes or songs ever produced, our world has become a society of leisure devotees and connoisseurs of pleasure. We can have every imaginable exotic dish delivered, we can purchase everything we have ever dreamed of possessing, we can organize the tailor-made holiday of our dreams – pleasure is on tap for us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. But who is paying attention to the reserves while we are amusing ourselves? Is enough being produced to meet the demands of ever-increasing consumption? In this publication The Why Factory demonstrates the size of the footprint that our leisure activities have left behind on our landscapes, cities and architecture. But that is not all: the architectural and urban projects presented here problematize the leisure activities of today and outline the possibility of a new solution. The volume includes articles by Winy Maas, Felix Madrazo and Alexander Sverdlov. It also provides a platform for minds critical of modern-day recreation as well as for the professionals in this line of business, those who keep the leisure machine running.

> Pre-Order at NAi Booksellers

Also available:
> Visionary Cities
> Green Dream

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The Why Factory

The Why Factory is a new global think-tank and research institute, led by Winy Maas/MVRDV and Delft University of Technology. The Why Factory advocates the necessity of research, theorization and politicization with regard to the urban future as the territory proper of architecture. The Why Factory initiates independent research projects, post-doctoral programmes, studios for MA courses in architecture and urbanism, post-doctoral studios at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, master classes, workshops, debates and round-table discussions.

The Why Factory explores the possibilities for the future develop¬ment of our cities, focusing on the production of models and visualizations for cities of the future. The Why Factory confronts our world’s existing reality with the future of the city.

The results of this research programme are being presented in a series of books, the ‘Future Cities Series’, which is being published in association with NAi Publishers in Rotterdam and Thonik/ BENG Graphic Designers in Amsterdam, and in films produced in collaboration with Wieland & Gouwens in Rotterdam and the BBC in London. The studies will be presented on television by the VPRO public broadcasting company and will be shown at the various exhibition venues (the Netherlands Architecture Institute, the Hong Kong Design Institute and the Aedes Gallery in Berlin).