news
17.07.2026
Why Now! Keynote at Lviv Urban Forum 2026
Lviv Urban Forum 2026 was a powerful reminder of the energy, ambition and expertise shaping Ukraine’s future. On behalf of Orange Architects, Patrick Meijers was honoured to be invited as keynote speaker to share our perspective on Why Now! — identity, sustainability and the neighborhood as foundation for Ukraine’s future. The keynote focused on the why behind reconstruction: before asking what to build and how to build it, we need to ask what kind of country, cities, neighborhoods and communities Ukraine wants to become. This question also drives our work through Orange Architects, Ukraine – the Netherlands Urban Network (UNUN), Panorama Ukraine and the many Ukrainian and Dutch partners we are fortunate to work with. A special thank you to Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, City Architect Anton Kolomeytsev, the Lviv Urban Forum team and all organizers for creating an inspiring three-day symposium full of national and international expertise in urban design, architecture, planning, social development and reconstruction. During the forum we reconnected with many friends and colleagues, including Mykola Morozov, Nikita Bielokopytov, Andriy Golovchenko, Oleg Drozdov, Oleksandra Naryzhna, Alexander Ohranovych, Natalie Fadeeva, Roman Puchko, Fulco Treffers and Kees Christiaanse, and met new partners including Oleksandr Fenchuk from Lviv Municipality, Oliver Weigel from IBA Munich, Olexi Kurylyshyn and Yurko Nazaruk of Fest Republic. Together with Lviv City Councillors, we are exploring whether the PANNO Prototype, a modular, circular and biobased school prototype funded by Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), can be positioned in Lviv North, within the wider UNBROKEN Ukraine area. We also visited Budfrank, the construction company involved in the prototype. Anton Kolomeytsev gave us a valuable tour through northern Lviv, including the UNBROKEN project, social housing designed by Oleg Drozdov and the hospital redevelopment by ABMK Architects. It showed how Lviv is connecting care, housing, public space and urban development into one future-oriented agenda. The forum made one thing clear: Ukraine is not only rebuilding. Ukraine is defining its sustainable future. Thank you, Lviv. We return with new energy, new connections and an even stronger belief in the power of collaboration.
read more01.06.2026
Floating Gardens selected as a CVU Award of Excellence winner
We are happy to share that Floating Gardens has been selected as a CVU Award of Excellence winner, competing for Best Tall Building Europe at the 2026 VU Summit in London this October! Together with Synchroon, we will present the project live before an international jury. As cities continue to grow upward, the challenge is no longer simply how to build taller, but how to create healthier, more connected, and more sustainable ways of living together. Together with Bureau Rowin Petersma (school design), Felixx landscape architects and the Municipality of Amsterdam, we created Floating Gardens. A building composed of layers of varying sizes that accommodate green roof gardens, enhance biodiversity, and improve residents’ well-being. The fully integrated, sustainable structure includes an “all-in-one school,” 192 apartments — including 85 mid-range rental studios — and a large communal living room. Exactly ten years ago, Orange Architects received the Best Tall Building Award for the Middle East–Africa region with The Cube in Beirut, marking our first project abroad. Back then, we travelled to Chicago to join the celebration and receive the award. Now, we are honoured to stand on stage once again, this time in London.
read more19.05.2026
From industrial harbour to residential waterfront: this is KAAP!
Powerhouse Company, Orange Architects and NEXT architects collaborated on KAAP: an ensemble of five freestanding residential buildings on the IJ in Amsterdam-Noord. Commissioned by AMVEST and COD, the project brings together 70 apartments, ground-floor commercial spaces and a circular waterfront pavilion within the future Oeverpark. KAAP forms part of Cityplot Buiksloterham, the urban plan by Studioninedots and DELVA Landscape Architects & Urbanism. The five buildings follow the neighbourhood grid, subtly rotated in response to Grasweg’s diagonal line through the area. This open composition brings daylight into the site, safeguards privacy and preserves long views across the IJ. Powerhouse Company designed Coast and Verde, the two outer buildings. Their design draws on the idea of contemporary harbour lofts, with glass, black steel, strong horizontal lines and generous outdoor spaces rooted in Buiksloterham’s industrial setting. Orange Architects designed Horn and York, combining white concrete bases with sculptural corten-steel tops. Lower apartments open with panoramic views over the IJ, while higher up, double-height windows are integrated into the corten-steel facades, framing the famous Dutch skies. NEXT architects designed Blanc, with 18 corner apartments, yellow-pigmented concrete, perforated panels and flared balconies, as well as the circular KAAP pavilion, built with 92% recycled and bio-based materials. When the surrounding landscape is completed, KAAP will become more than a place to live: it will offer space for relaxation, recreation and public life along the IJ waterfront.
read more