The readers of German magazine Architektur & Wohnen have chosen MVRDV „A&W Architeckt des Jahres 2012“ against David Chipperfield Architects and Snøhetta.
 
Part of the award is a small retrospective exhibition. At the same time that the exhibition opens, in Rotterdam and Shanghai 80 architects are developing concepts for buildings and urban plans of the future. These daily decisions impact the way we live, work and enjoy in the future. To research the impact of these decisions MVRDV has established together with Delft University of Technology The Why Factory, an independent research institute.
 
As all the collective thinking is forward oriented, the task of a retrospective of own work seemed paradox, even more to do it on a small scale without room for a deeper analysis of the past.

Faced with the task of looking back onto their own work MVRDV decided to rely on the public verdict: Almost all texts in the exhibition are quotes from media. The models exhibited are favourites of the visitors to the Rotterdam office and the projected movies are the most wanted on social media. A selection of past and current work is visualised in a timeline illuminated as a giant advertisement, fitting to the showroom context, accompanied by critical comment from others.
 
All this is backed by a small installation taken from the Vertical Village project, symbol for a more individualistic architecture and urbanism and in the exhibition an invitation to visitors to sit and read through a large stack of MVRDV and The Why Factory publications. 

A&W asked MVRDV to nominate a young architect for the USM Mentor Prize by A&W. The award was given to landscape architect Anouk Vogel and the exhibition features a small overview of her work.
 
The exhibition was made possible by Architektur & Wohnen and USM. The Vertical Village installation was made by Sixinch and many of the models exhibited are by Made by Mistake, Delft.
 
Visit ‘20’ at byUSM, Plan 6, Hamburg - Sunday closed