Through the medium of an exhibition, the curator and the assistant curators want the general public to reflect on Eindhoven’s contemporary architecture. The professor and curator Sergio M. Figueiredo does not want to prescribe a certain way of thinking about the theme but aims to ‘give a chance for the audience to discover themselves’.

Four younger architecture offices (Werkstatt, Atelier to the Bone, Wenink Holtkamp, Ateliereen Architecten) and four more established architecture offices (Open Architecture Office, 12N, UArchitects en Houben/Van Mierlo) were visited by the seven masterproject students. The students were responsible for selecting and narrowing down the material for the exhibition based on group discussions to best reflect the Eindhoven touch in architecture.

House Herremans from Open Architecture Office is an example of a new way of working. ‘Since the crisis, the client has a greater role in the process. For this project, the architects have designed a model with removable floor plates, which can be arranged by the client depending on their needs. This gives a chance for the client to ‘play’ with the design before finalizing the design. One of the projects of Werkstatt shows how to reorganize space in an unconventional way.

Masterstudent Gulce Onganer is one of the assistant curators ‘After the project selection we entered another phase of the process. How can we design the exhibition? We wanted to work with wood sponsors to work with high quality materials. In about three and a half weeks we managed to assemble all the structure. The design considered modularity because we want the exhibition to travel to other venues.’ Although not yet concrete, Figueiredo has contacts with Syracuse University in New York and Belgian universities Gent and Luik, who may be willing to display Eindhoven Eight in their venue.

In Eindhoven students also want to be in touch with the general public. On the Day of Architecture, Saturday 18^th June, we will go to the city center to interview people about their experience of architecture. Figueiredo, ‘We want to make people aware that in every moment they are surrounded by architecture. From their own homes and work place to shopping streets to recreation centers. What do people wish to see from architecture? Client and architect have long been separate. This has to change and it is happening in Eindhoven.’

Eindhoven Eight is in Plaza Vertigo until 24^th June.