Robert Venturi

arnout fonck Vanna Venturi House – Robert Venturi, 1964
Venturi always had a great interest in the history of architecture, which was forgotten or ignored by most modern architects at the time. Venturi calls Donald Drew Egbert, his professor of history in Princeton, his greatest hero because he did not see modernism as the end of a long search (like the modernists), but as a stage in evolution.

Venturi, together with his wife and partner Denise Scott Brown, is considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. His work was very important for the development of postmodernism in the United States. His most famous statement is probably “Less is a drill”, which is a parody of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s statement; “Less is More”.

Pascal Cottenier
Cottenier is an architect since 1966. In that same year he participated in the seminar ‘Städtebauliche Architektur’ at J. Bakema at the Sommeakademie für bildende Kunst in Salzburg. After his internship at Bernard and Jan Christiaens in Oostende he set up a desk with Paul Monteyne. Together they became part of the group ‘Ghent Morgen’ which won the same international idea contest in 1971. They were also a laureate of ‘Kortrijk Centrum-Oost’ with Luc Vandenbroeck in 1973 and co-authors of the ‘Pre-Plan of Harelbeke Structure Plan’.

In 1980 he was chairman of Archipelago with Walter Barthier and William Lievens.
In 1987 he obtained the Special Diploma of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the K.U.L.
In 1989 he graduated in Licentiate in Architecture and Baccalaureate in Philosophy.
In 1988 his ‘The Pre-Plan of Harelbeke Structure Plan, Part 2’ appeared.
In 1990-1991 he was ordered with a half-time interim assistant assignment at the Hoger Architectuurinstituut Sint Lucas Gent.

He is Transactional Analyst in Education, and for two years chairman of the Flemish Institute of Transactional Analysis. Pascal Cottenier lives in Antwerp, where he also has his office since 1992.