Ben van Berkel launches UNSense startup to boost health and wellbeing in built environments

– Ben van Berkel
Dutch architect Ben van Berkel and his design firm UNStudio have launched a tech startup to “improve the health and wellbeing of people in buildings worldwide.”
UNSense will explore and develop new integrated tech solutions specifically designed for cities, buildings and indoor environments. It will be run as an independent sister company, headquartered in Amsterdam FreedomLab Campus.
Explaining the concept, van Berkel said: “We are living in the age of the iPhone, yet the architecture and construction industries are still in the Walkman phase. With UNSense, I want to fully integrate innovative technologies into the built environment and improve the way people live, work and get from A to B. It is not the hardware or the software itself that interests me, but how it can be applied within architecture and urban design to improve our daily lives.”
He argued that traditional architectural practices do not have the resources or skill sets necessary to develop new technologies, with little room for prototyping and testing such applications, hence the decision to establish the studio as a standalone initiative.
Data analysts, algorithmists, neuroscientists, policymakers, students, city planners, sociologists and economists will join architects in developing products for the firm.
Early prototypes include Solar Bricks – PV Modules that can be used as a cladding material for the facade or the entire envelope of buildings, providing solar power on a much larger scale than if only used as rooftop coverage.
In the future, UNSense aims to develop and implement digital systems and technologies that enhance the city’s livability, such as digitally enhanced facades and indoor environments “that fully understand a user’s preferences, needs, emotions and even intentions.” Trials for such solutions are currently taking place in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities.
“I look at technology within the built environment from the viewpoint of an architect, and that always starts with people,” said van Berkel. “Instead of focusing only on performance or energy use optimisation, with sensorial adaptive environments, I see a great opportunity to create buildings and cities that are sensible and sensitive to human beings.
“I am of the firm belief that in the future all architecture practices will become arch tech firms, but for now we have to pave the way to make this expansion of our knowledge and expertise possible.”
Ben van Berkel UNStudio UNSense startup wellbeing FutureLabUNStudio win competition for EuropaCity's indoor/outdoor cinema complex
UNStudio and HPP Architects collaborate for futuristic Frankfurt urban quarter
UNStudio completes Hangzhou 'city in a city' with wave-like tower complex
Woods Bagot and UNStudio design AUS$800m 'once-in-a-generation' development for Melbourne
UNStudio complete 'vertical public square' with striking Shanghai mall
Democratic design: Den Bosch residents vote for UNStudio to design new theatre


Architects chosen to design Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games village

Berlin's new Exile Museum set for 2025 opening

Iconic Radio City Music Hall to get rooftop garden and 'skybridge'

Lagula Arquitectes designs new wellness centre for PGA Catalunya golf resort in Spain

Vietnam: Noor Design completes Adrian Zecha's first Azerai beach resort

Christian Lachel appointed chief creative officer at BRC Imagination Arts

Work completed on iconic M+ museum designed by Herzog & de Meuron’s in Hong Kong

Alta Capital Real Estate launches new fund targeting hospitality developments focused on sustainability and wellness

Langham to open beachfront hotel and TCM spa inside Chad Oppenheim's glimmering crystalline towers

Sordo Madaleno and Alejandro Escudero create Sha Wellness Clinic and residences in Mexico

'Oscars Museum' to host programme of virtual events ahead of September 2021 opening

Kerzner unveils new fitness-focused hospitality brand dedicated to health and wellbeing

Design Museum Everywhere launches diversity training programme

Snøhetta reveals reinvented Kon-Tiki Museum – due to open in 2025

Bjarke Ingels-designed Oakland baseball stadium a step closer

London's Battersea Power Station prepares for major launch

Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hilderbrand reveal US$250m redevelopment for Longwood Gardens, Philadelphia

Baca Architects submits scheme for floating eco-wellness resort

MVRDV reveal ambitious plans to create Marble Arch visitor attraction for London

Coventry's former IKEA building slated to become arts and cultural centre of international importance

World's first entirely wooden stadium approved for use by EFL

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter and ASP Architecture create hidden nature retreat inspired by hygge and Nordic hospitality

Zaha Hadid’s Opus building houses spa designed by The Wellness

Meow Wolf creates mind-blowing Las Vegas attraction – Omega Mart

BRC selected to design new World Food Center – will explore sustainability and global food supply

Ritz-Carlton Reserve opens with luxury spa at Japanese alpine ski resort

Scott Brownrigg-designed Museum of Military Medicine in Cardiff given planning approval

Work starts on US$898m e-sports arena in Shanghai

Gyms added to the mix for new super-luxe retail roll-out
