Thomas Heatherwick : Radically more human (November 6, 2025)

After Winka Dubbeldam’s introduction, Thomas Heatherwick argues that one of the main drivers of the work of his office is the public aspect of projects, even if that is not formally part of the client’s program. This aspect is important especially for large-scale projects. All the client’s needs may be addressed inside the building, but what will the outcome be for the passers-by? To illustrate, Heatherwick discusses in detail four projects: •Xi’an Center culture business district (2024) •Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town (2017) •Little Island, New York City (2021) •Azabudai Hills, Tokyo (2023) Expanding on the theme of public space, Heatherwick maintains that architects and clients would benefit by attending to user experiences. He argues that the real debate in architecture is between healthy and harmful buildings – including consideration of the emotions prompted by a project. He describes projecta on these themes he curated and programmed for the Seoul Biennale 2025.