The Architecture of Architecture

Tjeerd Dijkstra has passed away. In December 1987, my fellow student Roemer van Toorn and I invited him to join a panel discussion on “The Invisible in Architecture” in Hall A of the Architecture Department at what was then still called TH Delft. He was eager to take part, together with professor of philosophy Joop Doorman, city planning alderman Adri Duivesteijn, architecture center director Maarten Kloos, critic Hans van Dijk, and client and banker Wim Scherpenhuijsen Rom. Bringing together roles like these almost inevitably resulted in an all-male panel at the time. That was also the case for Tjeerd’s own role as Chief Government Architect, something he himself was already trying to change, but without much success yet.

But Tjeerd was more than his role. He had just published a book in which he attempted to make the concept of architectural quality something that could be argued and reasoned about. Because Tjeerd believed in argument. That required not only expertise but also the ability to distinguish what was essential from what was secondary, and the genuine intention to achieve the best possible result. I vividly remember the moment when the brilliant, let us say baroque, panel chair Doorman, legendary for his dialectical skill in making discussions entertaining if not outright hilarious, clashed with the rationalist Dijkstra, who wanted to draw clear conclusions. It was a wonderful confrontation, and one from which I learned a great deal.

Later I came to realize how engaging Tjeerd himself could be, especially when sharing his experiences. He was active at a time when Chief Government Architects had stopped designing buildings themselves but their role had not yet been reduced to that of mere advisor. For government projects he often selected young architects, thereby giving them opportunities. Through percentage-for-art regulations he guaranteed the presence of art in public space. As supervisor he safeguarded the final quality. He trained architecture students and was involved in setting up new programs. Meanwhile, throughout his life, he continued to design his own work.

Through Tjeerd I began to see coherence in the profession I had entered. And perhaps it was through him that I also learned how much dedication and perseverance are needed to hold on to that coherence as a kind of architecture of architecture, especially at those moments when the task seems hopeless.

Architectural Quality: A Note on Architecture Policy