Artist Spotlight: Francine Houben

In this interview between Bertz Associates and architect Francine Houben, we learn about her relationship with Birmingham and their publicly-owned Shakespeare collection, her commitment to sustainability, and the role models who have inspired her.

Following our Women Between the Lines guided walk in March, we are publicly sharing the stories of the women that we featured. Our project documents the histories of prominent women in Birmingham whose achievements deserve more attention. One such achievement is the beautiful Library of Birmingham, designed by Dutch architect Francine Houben.

“People are Central to Design”

Houben is the founder and Creative Director of Mecanoo Architecten. In 2008, Mecanoo won an international design competition and became architects of the Library of Birmingham, opened in September 2013 by Malala Yousafzai. We asked Houben about her approach to this project, and she said that she considered ‘the different communities, nationalities and education that defines the society in Birmingham’, because ‘people are central to design’.

“Culture and Heritage should be available to all”

The Library of Birmingham houses the world-renowned Shakespeare collection, currently being brought to life by the heritage project Everything to Everybody (E2E). As a partner of E2E, we can’t wait to connect Shakespeare with the city, and tell our own stories too. Houben designed the library specifically with the Shakespeare collection in mind, placing it at the top in a gold cylinder. She is proud that this move ‘reinforces the national heritage and gives free access to Shakespeare’s body of work’. The library will also play a huge part of designs and projects in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“It should be more about a collaborative way of working with others”

While Houben is aware that architecture is dominated by men, she thinks that to combat this, ‘we shouldn’t focus on the gender but on the work’. She now acts as a role model for young women looking to break into the industry, but doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal. She told us that ‘many students think that they have to become a star architect’, but most projects involve working together as a team and sharing the spotlight. At Bertz Associates, we celebrate all kinds of role models, from big names to everyday heroes. Houben mentioned the Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi as a huge influence, who dedicated her life to the socio-cultural potential of building in Brazil.

“Our attitude to earth needs to change”

Houben prioritises sustainability in her designs, focusing both on nature and the ‘human scale’, meaning that individual experience is at the heart of her buildings. She sees mobility as a means of ‘connecting communities’, which should be achieved not only through metro and tram, but also bikes, e-scooters and more, to ensure a truly ‘walkable city’. In a place like Birmingham, there is beauty to be found in the urban nature, and our guided walks are a way of promoting the city as a space for pedestrians. We are thrilled that Houben shares this vision.

Words & Walks

In the future, we are planning more guided walks to educate people about Birmingham women’s history while also exploring new routes in the city. Keep an eye on our website for details of how to get involved, and learn about more inspiring figures like Francine Houben.

Enjoyed this Artist Spotlight? Check out our previous post on Brummie actor Lorna Laidlaw.