How do we build on a foundation that is becoming less and less self-evident? During this 1st Lecture on 19 November at the Academie van Bouwkunst, la-di-da takes us into the world of foundations and the possibilities of wood as a sustainable alternative to concrete. Through a lecture and the screening of a film by Roel van Tour, we explore how architects can think differently about the basis of our buildings.
It takes a human lifetime before a spruce has grown tall enough to serve as a foundation pile. The trunk is driven deep into the ground until it reaches a stable layer of sand. For centuries this formed the basis for building in the Dutch delta, where the soft soil has no solid bedrock layer.
Today wooden piles have been replaced by concrete piles. Every year a million concrete piles are driven into the ground, where they remain for an indefinite period of time.