![RAAAF [Rietveld Architecture-Art-Affordances]](https://archello.com/thumbs/images/2023/03/21/6419c877bcb95.1679411320.1274?fit=fill&w=60&h=60&auto=compress&fm=jpg "RAAAF [Rietveld Architecture-Art-Affordances]")
The exhibition ‘Firemen walk with us’ confronts the risk-adverse behavior that currently characterizes our society. When it comes to the temporary use of vacant buildings, fire safety is one of the major obstacles to be overcome. After sunset visitors are invited to discover the dark Eiffel building in Maastricht. By creating a landscape of fire in this deserted architectural icon, Maastricht’s Fire Department and RAAAF show that the thousands of vacant properties offer far more possibilities for use than one would expect.
Just like our new Master’s program Vacant NL at the Sandberg Institute, the newly founded National Knowledge Platform ‘Interim Use in Development’ (founded in collaboration with Iris Schutten & Sabrina Lindemann), and our project Vacant Appsterdam, the installation ‘Firemen walk with us’ is an elaboration of the vision ‘vacancy for innovation’ which we launched during the Venice Architecture Biennale 2010.
Client: International Biennale Vacancy and Reallocation Design team: Ronald & Erik Rietveld, Francois Lombarts, Arna Mackic i.c.w. Fire department Zuid- Limburg
