Jan Kinsbergen Architects, Jan Kinsbergen, Neven Kostic

jury statement

★
France /// Frankreich
★

Swiss architectural designer Jan Kinsbergen presents Plates as a visual and experimental research into the architectonic potential of the horizontal surface in building processes. Designed as a folded manifesto, this publication blends drawings, images, and texts by Kinsbergen, structural engineer Neven Kostic, and architect David Klemmer. It culminates in a conversation between Kinsbergen and Claudia Mion, architect and editorial director of the Paris-based platform Caryatide, which focuses on architecture, art, and design.

The book is bound in Japanese-style binding, with most pages featuring architectural plans from various projects. The origins of these plans remain ambiguous – whether they are photographs, renderings, or speculative designs is unclear – creating an intriguing sense of ambiguity. The plans are rendered in black and white, followed by a stark, vivid contrast of pages featuring designs in highly saturated colours, creating a dramatic break in both tone and palette.
The typography is clean and sans-serif, running in a continuous line across both the pages and the cover. Printed in silver, the type either appears as a regular print or through silk-screening, adding a tactile dimension. The softcover, made from rough cardboard, echoes the rawness and materiality of architecture, further reinforcing the book’s connection to the built environment. The silver-embossed title adds a sophisticated finishing touch.

Plates invites readers to explore the horizontal surface as an experimental architectural concept, while its design – striking and bold – embodies the very tension between structure and creative exploration that Kinsbergen addresses in his work. Ultimately, it unfolds as a journey through architectural processes – transformed into a visual poem.