Ronald Van Tienhoven Editorial

On 16th January 2008, Mike Thompson interviewed Ronald van Tienhoven as part of the
SOURCE Lecture programme. Ronald is currently Domain Manager for Domain Play at
Technical University Eindhoven. The interview was roughly separated into 3 parts: the
cemetery project at Spijk; his opinions on the interaction between designers and engineers;
and, his thoughts on the future of design.
The interview with Ronald started with Cemetery project in Spijk we had discovered on the
TU/E ezine, “idzine.” This was an interesting project, as this project led the designers to deal
with the taboo subject of death. It is a difficult project to undertake due to the complex issues
surrounding different religions, beliefs and cultures. We were particularly interested in the
interaction between designers and the habitants. We also wondered how Ronald approached
the project in a manner which would be sympathetic to all religions and beliefs and indeed,
how the project had been received. It was inspiring to hear about the interaction with the
other designers and how they approached incremental prototyping, a process which Ronald
strongly advocates.
In a previous lecture at the Design Academy Eindhoven, Ronald briefly touched upon the
interaction between designers, engineers and scientists, and in particular, how they all
combine. The interview was a good opportunity to understand his thoughts on the future
of design, especially in relation to how design has evolved during his career. As young
designers, we sometimes feel confused about how we can define ourselves within the design
industry, and wonder what the future may hold. Since Ronald has had a long, and successful
career, his experience and opinions on design were of great insight to us.
We would like to thank Ronald Van Tienhoven for his is generosity in sharing his experiences,
and his passion towards design. Our brief time with him has given us much inspiration to and
encouragement for the future.

Written by Chen Chin-Shan