Gerrit Rietveld's UNESCO Pressroom, 1958

Years: 2019

Supervision: Tijm Lanjouw

Modelling and research: Tijm Lanjouw / Santje Pander

Project description: Project in collaboration with Post-MA trainee (Conservation and Resaturation) Santje Pander. The lost press room of the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, designed by Rietveld, has been completely 3D reconstructed on the basis of existing historical (visual) sources. The model served to analyze the light and color effect, based on an extensive study of (the wear and tear of) colors in light. In a second phase of the project an app was developed to conclude the 3D model for a presentation of the press room to the public and UNESCO.

Publications:

Virtual Tour of Rietsveld's UNESCO Pressroom (in Dutch)

Santje Pander, 2018. The UNESCO Press Room. Reconstructing the linoleum floor. Unpublished Master Thesis, University of Amsterdam.

Santje Pander, 2019. Linoleum in the UNESCO Press Room: 4D digital reconstruction. LINK 135 (2019) 35-36. (magazine only distributed among UNESCO employees)

Tijm Lanjouw & Santje Pander, forthcoming. 3D modelling and colour simulation as a tool to evaluate reconstruction possibilities of Rietveld’s UNESCO Press Room (1958), in: E. de Vos, E. Storgaard & Z. Böröcz (eds.). Living in Colour, conference, workshops, exhibition 3-5 december 2019.

Lanjouw, Tijm (2021): 4DRL Report Series 2 - The UNESCO Pressroom by Gerrit Rietveld: digital reconstruction for a study of colour use. University of Amsterdam / Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Journal contribution. https://doi.org/10.21942/uva.16802152.v2

Presentations:

Pander/Lanjouw 2019. Conference paper. 3D modelling and colour simulation as a tool to evaluate reconstruction possibilities of Rietveld’s UNESCO Press Room (1958). Living in Colour conference, DOCOMOMO, Antwerp.

Pander/Lanjouw 2021. Conference paper. The UNESCO Press Room: Conserving Linoleum Surfaces. Architectural Finishes Research, Israel (virtual talk).