On Minimalism: Rocha Tombal Architects

Minimalissimo asks well-known designers, architects and artists about their personal views on minimalism. As a result, we should be able to compare views – and you can form your own.

Today: Rocha Tombal Architects.

Introducing

House IJburg. Photography: Christian Richters

Rocha Tombal Architects is an architectural firm based in Amsterdam, headed by Ana Rocha (1972) and Michel Tombal (1963).

Michel Tombal and Ana Rocha

Since their start in 2006, Rocha Tombal have produced highly acclaimed pieces of architecture.

Well-known objects from their portfolio are the Water Tower in the Dutch city of Delft, and their House IJburg in Amsterdam. The most recent addition is the amazing House Bierings.

Minimalissimo very much enjoys their work… but is it minimalist? Let’s find out what they think.

On (not) being a minimalist architect

Michel Tombal:

We tend to keep our interiors as minimalist as possible. What we try to do is tell a story: through form, or light, or route… When you keep the rest as minimal as possible, the actual story gets as strong as it can be.

Daylight can play freely at the end of this hallway in House Ponssen. Photography: Christian Richters

However, we certainly do not have the intention to create completely minimalist buildings, for their goal is the opposite: to show as little story as possible.

House Bierings, with its 'eyes to the world' - all for the love of light. Photography: Christian Richters

Ana Rocha:

I wouldn’t call ourselves minimalist architects. I guess you could say our approach is minimalist: no decoration, no themes, nothing superfluous.

All elements in our designs are there because they fulfill a direct need – functional, technical. Not for the purpose of looking fun or interesting; they are there purely for functional reasons: comfort, a beautiful view, or the maximum benefit of the available light.

Even the fact that our rooms are always purely white has a functional reason: its light-reflexing quality.

We really have a fascination for light: the way it can create comfortable spaces, but also how it can creates visual effects. And those effects are different for each person that enters the house – it’s very personal. It’s more than one story that a house is telling; it’s one story per person.

On the benefits of a minimalist interior

Ana Rocha:

With form and light as major ingredients, We create neutral, peaceful spaces, so the personal contents of that room can come to life. Those can be you favorite set of books on the wall, the furniture, and so on.

Space should not compete with its interior objects, but be a base which gives those a own life. A good example of this approach is a museum room; it needs to be neutral to let the paintings live.

Water tower in Delft... without furniture.Photography: Christian Richters

Michel Tombal:

A calm space with sober detailing is much more impactful than a busy interior. with numerous visual elements. This is also true for the outside, which is why we also use little detailing on the exterior, and try to limit the variation of materials used.

It may sound paradoxical, but the more you add to the building, the less it speaks.

To learn more about the work of Rocha Tombal Architects, please visit their website: http://rocha.tombal.nl/en.

Please comment!

What do you think about the words of Ana Rocha and Michel Tombal? We’d love to hear!