14.02.2010 — Review at grafik #182
Grafik highlights our book ‘BCAD’
A mighty undertaking for Dirk Laucke and Johanna Siebein of
Studio Laucke Siebein – BCAD, a book charting 1979–2009
of Benthem Crouwel Architects (the mighty successful architects,
one founding partner of which has a dad whose name won‘t be
unfamiliar to Grafik readers). ‘During the first meeting with
Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel,’ recalls Laucke, ‘it was clear that
there would be no briefing. Except for a list of projects that
had to be in the book, there was nothing. One of my first decisions
was not to use Frutiger Type, which Benthem Crouwel use.
I wanted to avoid a corporate brochure feel.’
The layout of the book was based on the fact that it was necessary
to be flexible and have the ability to add in or leave out sections
of the content at the very last moment. ‘It’s based on a grid where
the text has no relations to the images,’ Laucke continues. ‘By
using this trick we where free to change a page in a very short time
without taking any design decisions. During the eighteen month
we worked on the book, there were many moments when I called
and said ‘everything will be different’.
This free-thinking approach led to one of the most interesting
aspects of the book. ‘As far as I could see,’ says Laucke, ‘most
monographs are full of glossy photography from realized buildings,
often in front of a sunrise or sunset. I didn’t want this, so
aspired towards a playful, very busy book full of sketches and
snapshots.’
Laucke took the clichéd sunset snaps and upended them:
‘I asked the photographer Johannes Schwarz to take pictures of
all the damaged mockups and created a chapter called Sunset
Ruins.’ This section at the centre of the book, printed full-page
on high-gloss paper, is a testament to dreams fallen by the
wayside and hints at projects that either became part of something
else or died where they stood.
The freedom demonstrated by Studio Laucke Siebein’s ability to
include such a section reveals the confidence and disciplined
approach of Benthem Crouwel and creates an end result as stunning
as the architecture itself.