Inside the Mind Behind the Buildings of Architect Kees Prins
Kees Prins with a book about Gerrit Rietveld and a model of his chairs in his office at Maltby & Prins Architects at 10347 71 Avenue
by Melissa L.A. Bishop
Edmonton, AB - Kees Prins (pronounced case prince) is an Edmonton-based architect who has built his career on the foundations of joy. The animated and joyous 72-year-old man was the second-born son to his father, a baker, and mother, a fashion designer on June 25, 1945, in Wassenaar, Netherlands. The famous Dutch architect Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud helped inspire Prins, who discovered his love of building and construction at four-years-old. Oud would give Prins his scraps of paper to build creations he constructed out of pure imagination. J.J.P Oud was a renowned pioneer of the De Stijl Dutch art movement, which included painters Piet Mondriaan/Mondrian and architect Gerrit Rietveld, who greatly influenced Prins work.
A model design for a home
When Prins speaks, his voice emanates pure innocence and joy, akin to the sound you hear in children's voices but rarely with adults. Prins is full of life, and emphatically uses his hands to illustrate ideas that words do not detail. There is a radiant sparkle in his eye that shines as a reminder to pursue the things we genuinely love. And, then there is the easy way he laughs with contagious and uplifting delight. Prins is easy to talk to, and his presence immediately puts you at ease.
The Maltby & Prins Architect firm we speak in has a long-standing historical place in Edmonton. It began in 1957 with couple Freda and Dennis O'Connor. The married couple shared a love for architectural design and passionately lobbied for women's equality in an industry that lacked representation. Freda was, in fact, the first woman elected to the Alberta Association of Architects in 1966. Architect Ron Maltby joined the firm in 1958. Kees Prins initially joins in 1967-1969 but then ventures back to Rotterdam, a city in the southern part of the Netherlands, where he works at van der Broek en Bakema Architects for three years before returning to Edmonton. Then Prins works for three years for McIntosh Workun & Chernenko Architects before joining forces with Peter Hemingway for nine years and finally partnering with Maltby in 1982 to form Maltby and Prins. This is where he found his home.
Prins is innately drawn to cultural movements before they became mainstream. He was directly impacted by one of the founders of the De Stijl movement. He promoted feministic empowerment to Freda O'Connor to achieve her architectural aspirations. And, he has been utilizing designs that were environmentally friendly before it was in vogue.
I ask him about his long-time employment of sustainable building designs, which was unpopular for years due to its steep costs. Prins comments that now it is different, "we have no choice. We are doing it because the climate change is really kind of awful. We flew last September over Greenland, and it's scary when you see how much land is in Greenland now... and the ocean [ice] is melting. Buildings are one of the biggest users of energy. So when you can overcome some of that shortage, like you can have a boiler that's 80% efficient, or you can buy boilers that are nearly 100% efficient." The higher cost is inconsequential compared to the global impact for Prins. He is cognizant of his ability to change the world in incremental steps.
Abundant natural light feeds the lush garden growing at Maltby & Prins Architects
The entryway into Maltby & Prins Architects
The technical knowledge that goes into architecture and design at Maltby & Prins Architects
Mobile origami and papercrafts hang suspended from the ceiling at Maltby & Prins Architects
The beauty of Work for the creative team at Maltby & Prins Architects
Kees reminisces, "we did a house for Gordon Hunter, and we kinda challenged him into doing thermal because he is a soil engineer, but he's so happy about it. He loves that he can heat his house with nothing, except a few little pumps."
Prins does not readily accept that he was a pioneer in practising preservation for the environment. The sustainability and environmentally conscious choices he integrates into his designs are just part of what Kees naturally incorporates. He comments that "it is expensive" but offers that "[beaurocracy] are forcing them now, but it would be nice that it would be done without forcing."
In his earlier years, Kees spent five years at the Netherlands Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Architecture & Civil Engineering and then came over to Canada. Kees meets his wife, Elizabeth, in 1969, at an Alberta Beach party while both were on dates with other people. Shortly after, he ventured to Mexico City to experience the Summer Olympics firsthand. He roamed the whole country looking for "old stuff" with a Yamaha 100CC Twin motorbike where only the sun and wind knew his location. Kees free-roaming spirit proved difficult for both Elizabeth and Prins' parents, who were both urgently trying to contact him via the consulate in Mexico City. They wanted to let him know of the good news: she was pregnant with their first daughter, Micha. When Prins found out, he came back and married Elizabeth on January 31, 1969, and happily married for 49-years now.
In the 1970s, Prins was back in Edmonton when he submitted a design proposal for the Muttart Conservatory. He lost that competition to Peter Hemingway. But fortunate for Prins, he just joined forces with him. Prins said, "the design was done already. I helped with the production of the working drawings and some site supervision."
The Muttart pyramids single-pane glazing that was part of the original design caused some upset with the public. The passive thermal energy from the sun used to push the pyramids to massively overheat. So Kees recalls that the "mechanical engineer was really a guy who was already into innovative stuff and so water was [dribbled outside] down the glass to keep it cool". A seemingly important life lesson to remember is that collaboration is necessary for success, even in the architectural world. This sense of community is always present, as he notes that "an architects office is not just one person, it is always a group of people who do things". The communal work ethic is one I think we all could practise more often.
Peter Hemingway Architect Portfolio Image. Supplied
FACT - The Muttart (pronounced Mutt + Art) is 1.5º off of true north alignment
In his time, Prins has built many beautiful things: churches and residential homes, the Jasper Place transit centre, the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert, The Oasis Centre, The Northern Jubilee Auditorium Canopy, the Lit Wine Bar on 104 street, Padmanadi’s restaurant, the University of Alberta B.A.R.D.'s library near 50th street and the Sherwood Park Freeway (which was where Ikea first set up shop in Edmonton), a commercial building on 124th street with five loft apartments, a daycare, and most famously, an enlarged replica of Rietveld's Red & Blue Chair (1918) that is precisely three times the size of the original design. Impressively, he even redesigned the cardboard box. Prins box has a thin and streamlined lid, which reduced both the weight and space requirements that typical banker boxes use. The University of Alberta used his innovative redesign for its archives at B.A.R.D.
An award that Kees Prins received from the City of Edmonton in March of 1978 for the home he designed for his family. He still lives there with his wife Elizabeth today.
Kees has received many accolades throughout his career, which hang proudly on his office walls. He energetically attributes success to his "Work! Work! Work!" philosophy. When not working, Prins is a philanthropist. He sits on many not-for-profit boards, including the Goodwill Society chair, the Adult Day Support Program and S.P.A.R.E. (Safe Potential Architectural Resources in Edmonton). He is the Vice President of the Association of Architects, and he was the director of Halcyon, a housing organization for people with mental and physical disabilities.
Alberta Association of Architects Award awarded to Prins in 1985
Prins's heart is warm and caring. When not trying to save historical buildings like the Brighton Block on Jasper Avenue, where Edmonton's most famous early photographer Ernest Brown set up a studio in 1912, he helps people experiencing homelessness. Prins welcomed Brad into his backyard after he set up a shelter in his backyard 12-years ago. Prins would try to encourage communication by waving at Brad, who was not responsive. Eventually, Brad warmed up to talking to Prins, but then they lost contact because Brad was forced to leave his "camping" area. Brad created a new one on Gateway Boulevard and 71st Avenue. Prins located him and invited him back to his backyard, building a stabilizing platform for Brad with some carpenter friends. Later, they collectively constructed a small shelter. Due to Brads deteriorating health conditions, he now camps inside their warehouse, warm and safe. Prins's heart is as beautiful as his smile. I admire him deeply.
I ask Prins what he is most proud of. His answer is not any of the buildings he designed or collaborated on.
It's his family.
And that's the most beautiful structure there is.
Elizabeth and Kees have two daughters, Micha and Jill, and four granddaughters. When discussing ageing, Prins positive outlook permeates like a beam of sunshine: "you always get better, except my joints are not cooperating," he laughs contagiously. I hope that I might be just as happy at 72-years-old as Kees Prins in my golden years.
Blueprints in scroll format inside Maltby & Prins Architects
A mini Rietveld chair at Maltby & Prins Architects
