The company’s name is inspired by the story of architect Rem Koolhaas, asked to design a two million square foot ferry terminal in the North Sea. The scale of the request led the architect to consider the philosophical implications of the construction: they could construct the building in record time, using simple materials, but the result would seem flimsy and somehow unreal; or they could employ
a small team of just 24 labourers to construct the building, who would simply grow old as the building progressed. This option would take much longer but would lend itself to a certain authenticity, and even be part of the building’s attraction. Matthew Goulish, of the theatre group Goat Island, discusses this story in their book, Small Acts of Repair. He suggests,
“It makes explicit the implicit economics of translation of human life into commodity. It proposes the question, What sort of North Sea Boat Terminal is my life?”
Our company’s name is a reminder to always keep an eye on the bigger picture, and to always question who and what we are shaping up to be.
