Last week, Guillem Colomer (COFO architects) took part in The Berlage's design master class as guest critic. The focus of the class was material culture and the students were asked to develop prototypes for a new industrial vernacular. The tutors were London-based collective Assemble.
Through an intensive and hands-on week of collaborative practice, the students designed and built 1:1 test panels that explored the potential of utile and familiar materials to be elevated and enriched. The intention of the workshop was to consider forms of expression that utilise, celebrate, and make visible the industrial and creative processes that are usually hidden from sight. Guillem's fascination with consolidating collective identity through participatory processes was greatly stimulated with the excellent proposals developed by the students and with the knowledge shared by Assemble.