Caroline Bos (born 1959,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

) is a Dutch architect. She is a co-founder of UNStudio, a large award-winning architecture firm in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. Bos writes, lectures and teaches architecture at various schools. Her architectural drawings and models are shown at museums like MoMA.

Education

Bos received a bachelor of arts in art history from Birkbeck, University of London in 1991. She later obtained a master's degree in architecture at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

in the Netherlands. It was in London that she first met her husband,

Ben van Berkel Ben van Berkel (born 1957) is a Dutch architect; founder and principal architect of the architectural practice UNStudio. With his studio he designed, among others, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Moebius House in the Netherlands, the Merced ...

Work

Bos first worked as a journalist with husband, Ben van Berkel on publications such as Forum (1985–86) and "Diagram Works" (1988). Bos and van Berkel, founded Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau in Amsterdam in 1988. The firm designed several "critically acclaimed projects" in the Netherlands. In 1998, the name of the firm was changed to UNStudio. The decision to remove their own names from their company is very in keeping with Bos' attitude that architecture is about collaboration. UNStudio has been "at the forefront of knowledge-driven architectural practice. The firm consists of a network of experts in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. Bos works closely with the entire team on a project and ensures that they are working towards good ideas. UN Studio promotes collaboration in order to undertake ambitious building projects. This approach they call "deep planning" which takes the neighborhood and surrounding areas into consideration when planning the location of a new building. UNStudio and Bos' and van Berkel's approach is "against the old idea of the master builder scribbling away on his drawings. If you've built one building, you know you are only a bit player in the whole process." Bos has been called UNStudio's "secret weapon" because she was not trained as a designer and has an outsider's approach to architecture. She has also been called "one of the best architects in the office." As of March 2012, the firm has a staff of 153 from 17 countries and has completed 69 projects. Bos has been involved in all of these, working with the various project teams."Ben van Berkel & Caroline Bos"
, ''mapolis Architecture''. Retrieved 9 March 2012. In the early years, Bos shares that much of their work came through architectural competitions because it was a good way for "independent and non-corporate practices to acquire a body of work." Some of the major urban infrastructure that Bos worked on include the Prince Claus Bridge in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

, the Netherlands and the

Mercedes-Benz Museum The Mercedes-Benz Museum is an automobile museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It covers the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand and the brands associated with it. Stuttgart is home to the Mercedes-Benz brand and the international headquarters of the Me ...

in Stuttgart, Germany. Bos has taught at various institutions including the Academy of Architecture in Arnhem,

Liverpool University , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, the

Vienna University of Technology TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...

and the

Berlage Institute The Berlage Institute was an independent unaccredited postgraduate school of architecture in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, that operated in 1990-2012. Named after the Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the Berlage Institute had an i ...

in Amsterdam. Together with Ben van Berkel, she has also been a visiting lecturer at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and has co-authored several UNStudio publications. In 2012, she received an Honorary Professorship from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. Bos likes to test preconceived notions about traditional architecture. Early in her career, she likened architecture it to high fashion: "the architect will be concerned with dressing the future." Bos also cites the importance of fitting infrastructure into urban surroundings efficiently and taking into account diverse users of the work. As her work progressed over time she has said that urban planning isn't utilized anymore and instead have "architecture and politics." She says of her work with van Berkel, "Alongside pursuing theoretical works, we sought from the beginning to build."

Influences

Bos maintains that she has been particularly inspired by Renaissance and Baroque architects, such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, as well as by the 20th-century Dutch architect, Aldo van Eyck.

References

External links

UNStudio website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bos, Caroline Dutch company founders 1959 births Living people Dutch women architects Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Architects from Rotterdam 20th-century Dutch architects 21st-century Dutch architects 20th-century Dutch women