Catja Edens, Harm Tilman

Dutch Realist
De Zwarte Hond
Karelse Van der Meer Architecten

Design: Stout/Kramer, Illustrated (colour and b/w), bound, 300 pages, 23 x 28 cm
Text in English, ISBN 90-5662-405-9 / 978-90-5662-405-7 , € 47.50
Dutch edition, ISBN 90-5662-404-0 / 978-90-5662-404-0, € 47.50

This monograph about architecture bureau De Zwarte Hond (The Black Dog) presents a comprehensive overview of designs and realized projects by this office, formerly Karelse Van der Meer Architecten. De Zwarte Hond is a large and wide-ranging bureau with branches in Groningen and Rotterdam, and has one of most extensive and eclectic portfolios of built projects in the Netherlands. The bureau is distinctive for its down-to-earth design mentality, inspired by the conviction that the best design is the result of a thorough study of the task, programme and context.

The book concentrates on the design process and the resulting design solutions for a series of projects from recent years. This focus on 'process' and 'result' is approached in two ways: on the one hand, by means of a substantive reflection on the methodology, in which craftsmanship and research are at least as important as the end result; on the other, by means of a complete overview of all 500 projects in a comprehensive project archive. Between the reflection and archive there is a concise chronology that traces the history and evolution of the bureau over the years.