The Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) believes architecture and design will play a crucial role in imagining how spaces will be made sustainable and how they will cope with our changing climate. But many decision makers do not have access to the world-leading expertise of Dutch designers. The IABR aims to connect these worlds, to embed design thinking and collaborative working practices within the institutions of the Netherlands. Through research by design and real-world implementation, the IABR has been building this capacity since the first IABR–Atelier in 2008.

The upcoming case studies will focus on the speed of climate transition around the Netherlands, addressing roadblocks to change and finding ways to speed up the technical task of preparing the Netherlands for the twenty-first century. Local governments and other public bodies will work with the IABR, community members, and designers to imagine new ideas and create new approaches to public projects.

Following an open call to public institutions, NGOs, and other partners in the Netherlands, the IABR has started to work with a variety of public bodies from across the country. The city of Amsterdam would like to develop its methods for working with the increasingly congested underground infrastructure, modernizing pipes and cables without endless digging and disruption. The city of Rotterdam and the IABR will investigate mobility within neighbourhoods and the future of our electricity grid.

These projects will be developed over the coming two years and new partners will continue to join the programme.