The world of work is changing. It's clear that we need to re-imagine the workplace to become flexible and future-focused, but also reconsider how the role of the architect will develop over the coming years... Framed by these questions, we hosted a discussion between UNStudio architects Ben van Berkel, Marianthi Tatari and Harlen Miller.

For this episode of UNS Talks, we discussed our recently published article "The Responsive Technologies of Social Health" with article authors, Ben van Berkel, Filippo Lodi and Wael Batal. In their discussion, Ben, Filippo and Wael dissect parts of the article, such as the fourth industrial revolution and its impact on the built environment, media architecture and responsive design, smart cities vs healthy cities, play and social cohesion, and finally design models. Download the whole article here from the MAB 2018 proceedings from the ACM journal: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3284389 Read Part 1 of the article on our website: https://www.unstudio.com/en/page/10985/an-introduction-to-the-responsive-technologies-of-social-health Read Part 2 of the article on our website: https://www.unstudio.com/en/page/10993/health-and-technology

What is a circular construction strategy? How can digital solutions help the transition to a circular economy? What does a circular city really look like? For this podcast, we were very happy to host Joke Duformont and Ben Kubbinga from the Cities and Built Environment Programmes of Circle Economy: an Amsterdam based social enterprise that accelerates circular economic initiatives. The Cities Programme has develop roadmaps with cities like Amsterdam, Glasgow, Bilbao and the province of Noord Holland that help them make the circular leap. The Built Environment Programme works to create a ‘living’ system in which building materials and products are optimally used and reused— a system that operates within the boundaries of our planet, preserves the value of resources, and ensures the wellbeing of inhabitants.

As part of our ongoing research into playgrounds, we were very happy to host Denisa Kollarova, author of Aldo van Eyck: Seventeen Playgrounds, at the UNStudio office in Amsterdam, to discuss the contents of her study. Of Aldo van Eyck's original 700 playgrounds built across Amsterdam, only 17 remain. What can we learn from van Eyck about designing for social cohesion and imagination?

Review Architecture is an online journal of architecture books, founded and curated by UNStudio Architect Ayax Abreu Garcia. Its goal is to sift through architectural literature, find the gems, dissect their content, create a spark in people’s minds, and help people become more interested in architectural literature. Recently Ayax held an interview with Ben van Berkel to discussed UNStudio written works like MOVE and Knowledge Matters, but also his influences from Mark Wigley to Mohsen Mostafavi, to his former teacher Zaha Hadid… If you would like to read the interview with Ben van Berkel for yourself, you can read it on Review Architecture here: http://www.reviewarchitecture.com/interviews/

Every few months we like to host a breakfast open to everyone in our office to discuss the issue of Gender in design in an informal way. This time around, we invited Afaina de Jong to join us. Afaina is an architect, an academic and a cultural entrepreneur who works on the boundary of art and architecture. Having taught in both TU Delft and the Sandberg Institute, Afaina founded AFARAI in 2005: an Amsterdam based architectural agency that specializes in spatial design, taking an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach to design. In her talk, Afaina discusses her architectural practice, her work, her thoughts and her research, as related to otherness, gender and design.

UNS Talks about the Future of Mobility: The Cable Car This is the second of two special edition podcast episodes of UNS Talks, in which we discuss the future of mobility, looking at three projects we are currently working on across two alternative forms of public transport. To discuss these themes, we've brought in the people who are behind the designs: Ben van Berkel, the founder of UNStudio and UNSense, Alice Haugh, Futurist, and Milou van Min, Junior Architectural Designer. This episode focuses on the Cable Car, and its resurgence as a modern form of urban transport in Europe. Urban Density, flexibility, costs, barriers and the designs themselves will be discussed. To do this, we dissect two of our recently released designs for the Gothenburg Cable Car in Sweden, and the IJbaan Cable Car in Amsterdam. To see our infrastructural designs for yourself be sure to check out our website here: https://www.unstudio.com/en/projects?qfilter=1011

UNS Talks about the Future of Mobility: the Hardt Hyperloop Hub This is the first of two special edition podcast episodes in which we discuss the future of mobility, looking at three projects we are currently working on across two alternative forms of public transport. To discuss these themes, we've brought in the people who are behind the designs: Ben van Berkel, the founder of UNStudio and UNSense, Alice Haugh, Futurist, and Milou van Min, Junior Architectural Designer. This episode focuses on the hyperloop as a form of transport, how the hyperloop can fit in with existing infrastructure and urban environments, and what it could mean for the future of Europe. To do this, we dissect our recently released designs for the Hardt Hyperloop Hub. To see our design for yourself be sure to check out our website here: https://www.unstudio.com/en/page/10319/hardt-hyperloop

UNS Talks with Mariana Pestana and Rory Hyde, Curators of Architecture at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. "The Future Starts Here" is a blockbuster exhibition currently on show at the V&A Museum in London, exploring the power of design in shaping the world of tomorrow. Design is, of course, always about the future. Curators Rory Hyde and Mariana Pestana discuss the key technologies appearing on the horizon and how they could impact our lives. From smart appliances to satellites, artificial intelligence to internet culture, this exhibition brings together more than 100 objects as a landscape of possibilities for the near future. Check out some videos from the exhibition on the UNStudio website here: https://www.unstudio.com/en/page/10229/podcast-the-future-starts-here-at-the-v-a-museum

For our fifth podcast, we asked Doma to speak at our annual UNStudio Summer Conference, held in Mediamatic in Amsterdam. Doma is a non-profit housing cooperative that attempts to address and overcome issues relating the housing crisis, and the gap between home ownership and rental. Unlike other housing cooperatives however, Doma has developed an equitable housing platform, turning its users into home owners, making use of block chain technology and availing of smart contracts.