What Teun appreciated about the study in industrial design engineering at TU Delft was that all aspects, from concept and context up to the most technical details came together and you were supposed to deal with everything by yourself. But the prospect of a life as an industrial designer did not agree with him. The fleeting nature of product design, mainly driven by marketing and profit maximization, put him off.
That explains his switch to architecture, that does not aim for serial production but rather for a design that fits a unique location and a specific set of functions, providing a custom-made solution.
‘My view of architecture is partly based on this other dimension in my life which is my involvement with theatre, in the form of set building and lighting. The link with architecture is that I try to imagine the user present in the design, as a physical, moving and sensory being. My mind works in scenarios and narratives, because spatial experiences come in sequences as well.’
As a designer he prefers working on bridges and stations, because of the combination of technical challenges and the opportunity to shape the experience of a large diversity of users. Working at ZJA fits him well, because of the investigative approach to architecture and the notion of design as a process of experimentation and innovation. He firmly believes in serendipity.