innovation
We
We design with the conviction that a well-designed environment has a positive influence on the health and well-being of its occupants. In this way we create spaces that stimulate social interaction through healthy and comfortable interior climates. We make buildings that encourage physically activity with spaces where people can exercise. Creating environments where people can connect, feel at home and live together happily.
WHY IS COMFORT IMPORTANT IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN?
Creating comfortable indoor spaces with a positive environmental quality is pivotal in architecture and the design of sustainable buildings. It makes buildings and spaces welcoming, pleasant and comfortable. Contributing to a sense of safety and universal ease of use.
Climatic conditions
People spend a significant time indoors, either at home, in the workplace or café and it is therefore vital that these spaces can be used for long periods of time without any risk on developing Sick Building Syndrome or other Building-Related Illnesses.
Balanced and positive spaces
Complementary to this is the qualitative side of comfort, to enhance feelings of belonging, familiarity, peace of mind and relaxation in a welcoming and safe environment. How to achieve this can vary from one person to another, and from one situation to another.
WHAT DO WE MEAN WITH COMFORT?
Comfort refers to the characteristics that influence peoples spatial experience. These should have a positive impact on how a space or building is perceived and used but should never have any negative health impacts in the long run. But comfort is about more than norms, calculations and numbers, it relates to architectures most fundamental role: to provide shelter. In our aim to design comfortable spaces we go beyond the numbers and instead focus on the multitude of different factors that determine how people experience space and place.
HOW CAN WE MAKE COMFORTABLE SPACES?
Our buildings are designed with an eye for the well-being of users. On the basis of the desired programme, we make spaces that not only offer comfort and safety, but also maximize focus and productivity. We make exciting spaces and architectural routes through the buildings that we design, spaces that surprise and intrigue. The well-being of people can be positively stimulated with natural light, the right materials – often natural – and colour schemes. Moreover, inclusion and accessibility of buildings is important in allowing everybody to experience the architecture.
Architects play a crucial role in shaping adaptive spaces that incorporate both positive and negative context-specific conditions, using building physics and services to prioritize the various needs of its users.
WHY SHOULD WE DESIGN FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING?
Health is no longer just about medical access but also determined by factors such as our built environment. To ensure a healthy future for the population and also ease pressure on healthcare services, we therefore must prioritise health in our homes, workplace and communities. The design of our built environment can generate long-term advancements of our quality of life, and offers a valuable opportunity towards a healthier future.
Helping people make healthier choices
The role that architecture can play in shaping human behaviour is significant. Behaviour is not just a product of individual choice, but can be strongly influenced by the context in which people find themselves. Understanding this allows us to explore how people can be encouraged to make healthier decisions in a largely intuitive, voluntary and simple way.
WHAT DO WE CONSIDER TO BE HEALTH FACTORS?
Historically, health has often been defined narrowly in medical terms. However, contemporary understanding has broadened to include the relationship between physical, psychological and social factors. It is now recognised that an individual’s well-being is influenced not only by biological and physiological factors, but also by their social interactions and environment. This holistic perspective highlights the important role of the built environment in promoting health and well-being. From the design of individual spaces to the planning of entire cities, the built environment can have a profound impact on people’s physical, mental and social health.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHIER BUILDINGS?
To foster user well-being, we prioritize active lifestyles. This involves integrating cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, designing spaces that encourage stair use, and promoting a culture of healthy, communal eating. By prioritizing these elements, we aim to create environments that enhance overall well-being and happiness.
To ensure a healthy future for the population and ease pressure on healthcare services, we must therefore prioritise health in our homes, workplace and communities. The design of our built environment can generate long-term advancements of our quality of life, and offers a valuable opportunity towards a healthier future.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MAKE BUILDINGS MORE SOCIAL?
Social Cohesion
As we engage in conversations, share experiences, and lend a helping hand, we nurture a collective sense of responsibility towards one another. When we connect on a deeper level, we become more aware of the needs and concerns of those around us, which in turn improves our collective engagement and empathy.
Living Locally
When different or even conflicting uses and users live together locally, sharing the same places and resources, they build a stronger local collective identity that is naturally more inclusive.
Nobody is left behind
In a social, diverse and close-knit neighbourhood, people from all walks of life, backgrounds, cultures, abilities and ages are acknowledged, valued and accepted. Creating places where no one is excluded or forgotten about cultivate social support networks.
WHAT IS SOCIAL PURPOSE IN BUILDINGS?
Within every built space there exists a unique community of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives and engage in joint action and experiences in shared settings or locations. Designing with a social purpose means to understand and empower these patterns of life and prioritise them in the development of buildings. Acknowledging their social value and importance, and the benefit it brings for indi-viduals and communities.
HOW DO WE APPLY SOCIAL DESIGN?
We want to design spaces that foster social interaction between the various users of the building and their neighbours through, for example, shared areas. We try to design these spaces in such a way that they invite activity and involvement by users. Shared spaces for social interaction not only improve the health and welfare of the users but also enhance the sense of ownership and responsibility, ensuring the continuation of engaging and liveable communities.
Socially designed buildings that prioritise human life over built form and take into account human needs and behaviours, contribute to improving people’s lives, strengthening social identities, improving cohesion and encouraging informed, fair and ethical decision-making.
Colophon
projects overview
jonas, amsterdam
holiday home, texel
zoho, rotterdam
wärtz, zwolle