Naar alle waarschijnlijkheid zal de 1ab, de eerste Architectuur Biënnale van Rotterdam een jaar worden uitgesteld. De manifestatie zal hierdoor pas in 2003 plaatsvinden. De belangrijkste reden voor dit uitstel is te voorkomen dat de 1ab samenvalt met de Architectuur Biënnale in Venetië.
The international biennial on architecture and urban design, 1ab, had been scheduled to open on September 5-8, 2002, and last until December 2002. Yet fate has determined that the eighth Venice Architecture Biennial, with as title NEXT, has been scheduled for the exact same period. Even the opening of both events would have coincided. Last week the Venice organisation, headed by Deyan Sudjic, announced its theme at a press conference. The Dutch organisers, headed by Aaron Betsky, have responded by asking the main sponsors, the City of Rotterdam and the central government, to agree to postponement. The city authorities have consented to the proposal, and everything now depends on the government.
Plans to organise 1ab got off the ground two years ago. The entire programme is devoted to the theme Mobility. The organisers hope to involve young architects in the debate about mobility, with special attention being devoted to place, space, and time. All aspects of the programme have already been elaborated, and the funding too is almost secured. Only the financing and exact plan for Container City, added later, remains unclear. Whether or not Container City goes ahead will not affect the decision to stage the biennial in 2003, according to a spokeswoman.
The Dutch submission to the eighth Venice Architecture Biennale will be organised by the NAi. What that submission will consist of has yet to be decided upon, and the funding too has yet to be secured.