Gilbert, as a structural engineer, you’ve collaborated with Nanne de Ru and Powerhouse Company from the earliest days. So, how did the two of you meet?

Gilbert: I met Nanne in our very first week at university. We found ourselves in the same project group, and we had an immediate connection that deepened during our studies.
Nanne: Yes, we immediately hit it off. Gilbert has a great sense of humor and we also shared the ambition of creating a bigger vision of better buildings.

What led to you working together?

Nanne: Our shared passion for integrated design. Gilbert is really driven to integrate design, structure and installations in buildings. That’s quite rare, as many specialists are mainly interested in their own area of expertise. During our education, we worked together on almost all of the design projects, where I would be the ‘architect’ and Gilbert would be the ‘structural engineer’. We worked in groups of eight and Gilbert and I would like to orchestrate the team effort.
Gilbert: One day, a few years after graduation, when we were both working for separate companies, I got a call from Nanne. He was in a ski lift and he had just got the commission for Villa 1. He asked me if I would like to be the structural engineer for this project, so I said, ‘Yes please!’ At first I did Villa 1 alongside my normal job, but soon it became too time consuming. I had to make a choice – give up Villa 1, or give up my job. So I decided to quit my job and start my own structural-engineering firm. I’ve never regretted that decision.

How many projects have you done together?

Nanne: So many, I’ve lost count. I think we did almost all the villas together, and many of the public buildings.

Which are you most proud of, and why?

Gilbert: Villa 1 is very dear to me. It was our first job, and it was really well executed. It was incredibly intense – and way too time consuming – and the feedback from everybody was overwhelming. Then came Villa L. We took out all the columns and made a cantilever of 32 by 12m. It’s a piece of structural art. There are many more Powerhouse projects of which I am extremely proud, but the next big one for me is Nanne’s apartment. This was as edgy a feat of engineering as edgy can be. It involved balancing everything. It demanded a lot from me, as it was an exceptionally daring project. We pulled it off together.
Nanne: The same ones stand out for me: Villa 1, Villa L and my own house, Penthouse West399. They were intense in terms of design and we really needed the structure to work along with the design. We would spend long hours debating certain solutions and making sure of using only the barest structure. Penthouse West399 was really challenging, since it was so difficult to create a loadbearing glass façade while at the same time making a very light structure that uses only a limited amount of bearing points on top of the roof of the existing structure. I really pushed Gilbert to limit these and I remember vividly that he spent an entire holiday calculating a very thin structure. I didn’t know if it would be possible but simply had a hunch. I think many structural engineers would’ve quit at some point, but Gilbert really persisted and made a beautifully light and nimble structure that’s really amazing!

What do you most appreciate about each other?

Nanne: Gilbert is audacious, precise and a realist. He is great to work with as he’s service minded, precise in everything he does, and thinks about practicalities while also ensuring that the design stays at a high level. Since he’s also trained as an architect, next to a degree in structural engineering, he knows what counts in terms of design. And last but not least – he’s a buddy!

Gilbert: I love working with Nanne because of his endless enthusiasm. He’s a dreamer with a (sometimes dormant) sense of realism, who is never scared to think (too) big. He’s also very sharing and caring – he’s always trying to let everyone improve themselves and he acts as a coach, sometimes in a really obvious way, but most of the time in a completely natural manner. He has propelled me forward as a person and as a professional. He’s a real friend. I value his opinions and coaching. It’s all about making the cool stuff.

What’s the project you dream of making together?

Gilbert: We always said we wanted to build two things together: a skyscraper, and a football stadium. The skyscraper – the Baan Tower – is on the way, so let’s build that stadium!
Nanne: That would be great – even though we support rival teams – Gilbert is an Ajax fan and I’m Feyenoord. I’m pretty sure we would create something epic!

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