MVRDV several years back produced a book titled Regionmaker.  The book was brought to my attention via Bill Scheele who presented during some of the very first colloquia at REI Tuesdays.  Bill initially saw the book at a book store on the West Coast, and purchased it because of the book’s unique use of dual languages (Dutch on the left page, English on the right hand page) and the use of binding the book together with different colored pages ( to distinguish the different chapters)  When I read through the book I told Ed Morrison that Regionmaker included a  thesis  confirming (with mathematical precision) Mr. Morrison’s “Quality Connected Spaces” economic stimulation philosophy.   Bill’s  newCAT  (interesting that MVRDV was under discussion in 2004 at REI, while it just hit the radar with CIA in 2007) was itself an effort to improve the local technology economy through expertise in digital art.   But back to MVRDV - if MVRDV designs their CIA University Circle job with the same high level of  innovation with which they designed their Regionmaker book - then we will have unique and stimulating architecture here in Cleveland.

Photo courtesy NL Architects

Another Dutch architectural firm with very interesting ideas is NL . Not only do they have the most grandly understated website I have ever seen, (make sure you click on the NL to visit their site – they don’t boast about themselves, they let Google do it for them – very cool), their  Basket  Bar  Cafe  in Utrecht is a concept that should be franchised.  Imagine if Duncan Donuts hosted a basketball court above every one of their donut outlets!