The Architecture Fiver

A new Dutch 5 euro coin, designed by Stani Michiels, pays tribute to the history of Dutch architecture. Both the historical architecture as well as the innovative conceptual architecture and modern design are popular across the globe.

The obverse side of the coin displays the history of Dutch architecture. The names of great and important Dutch architects form the portrait of Queen Beatrix. Stani ordered the names of the architects by popularity. He chose to order the architects not alphabetically or chronologically but in a new way: by using the internet as a seismograph and ordering the architects by the number of hits on search engines.

The Architecture Fiver.

The reverse side of the five-euro coin draws attention to the striking fact that many Dutch architects have also included publishing books on architecture in their professional activities. To illustrate this, recent books on architecture rise up from the sides of the coin like buildings. Through their careful placement they combine to outline the Netherlands.

One of the issues was how many books to take: many thin books or fewer thick books. With one very thick book you would only get a circle. To get the best approximation of the Netherlands you would need books of only one page, which is not optimal either.

Design process by Stani Michiels

The birds on the coin also have a meaning. Each bird flies above the capital of each Dutch province. In the final coin these random birds are replaced with a bird which is typical for that province.