The installation Vacant NL, where architecture meets ideas calls upon the Dutch government to make use of the enormous potential of inspiring, temporarily unoccupied buildings from the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries for innovation within the creative knowledge economy.

The installation Vacant NL, where architecture meets ideas calls upon the Dutch government to make use of the enormous potential of inspiring, temporarily unoccupied buildings from the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries for innovation within the creative knowledge economy.

In the Netherlands, 25% of the buildings are empty, while students cannot find accommodation in the cities. Vacant NL tries to change the mindset around a social problem and to put the issue on the political agenda.

Vacant NL addresses all relevant aspects: the social value, providing solutions, sustainability; the design is visually strong, almost poetic. The issue is also very topical and does not only occur in the Netherlands but throughout the world. In the future, the city will be increasingly important, as more and more people migrate to the city. This makes it essential to find new functions for vacant buildings. The Vacant NL project is a meta-project, reason why it heads the list of other designs.