Together
We believe that we can make a better living environment together. We share knowledge with experts in the field of sustainability, and with our integral approach sustainability is an important design ambition in all our buildings right from the first sketches. We work on the basis of a broad definition of sustainability, built upon three pillars: WORLD | WE | VALUE. Our mission is to incorporate and unite these themes in all our projects, from the first sketches to completion. This is the way we want to make buildings that positively influence the quality of life.
WORLD
We want to have a positive impact on nature and the environment with our buildings. We can achieve this by carefully selecting sustainable materials and reducing the consumption of energy and water. In addition, we aim for flexible and circular buildings that can adapt to changing needs or can be partly reused. Nature-inclusive building is an important aspect that we try to integrate into all our designs.
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. Spaces that encourage people to exercise and take the stairs instead of the elevator. We make buildings for active users, where spatial mobility concepts and sustainable means of transport are integrated into the design in a logical manner.
VALUE
Our ambition is to create added value for the local context, not only physically but also in a social and economic sense. That is why we devote so much attention to the environment of the building: attention for the spatial quality, the programming and the solidity of our designs, as well as the lifecycle costs that they entail. Our goal is to create spaces and buildings in consultation with and embraced by their users, ensuring they are of lasting value for their surroundings.
Resources
By considering climate and orientation in the design of the volume and skin right from the start of the process, we can reduce the building’s energy and water consumption. For the remaining energy needs, we work with energy and installation consultants to integrate sustainable installation concepts into our designs. We see the careful incorporation of elements to generate renewable energy in the built environment as an important aspect of integral design.
Circularity
The design of smart, circular buildings offers an opportunity to apply new circular business models. Such buildings will also significantly reduce demand for new raw materials in the future. By considering the possibilities of disassembly and by working with a material passport, we can turn future buildings into material depots. The materials used must of course be carefully selected on the basis of their environmental impact, for example their toxicity and capacity to store CO2. In addition to these material values, we aim for flexibility in design, by making spaces that can be adapted in response to changing functions and requirements. In this way we can extend the life-span of the building in a sustainable manner.
Nature
In collaboration with landscape architects, we integrate nature inside, around and on top of our buildings. This has a positive effect on both the health and welfare of users and on biodiversity. Green indoor and outdoor spaces offer possibilities for recreation, local food production and water storage when it rains. Collecting and storing rainwater improves climate-change resilience, while the water can also be used for various purposes inside the building.
The roof tiles of the former PTT building have been replaced with solar slates in a neutral, dark color. As a result, these PV panels are practically invisible, and the high-quality aesthetic appearance of the roof has been preserved
The roof tiles on the market side have been replaced with solar slates in a neutral, dark colour. As a result, these PV panels are practically invisible, and the high-quality aesthetic appearance of the roof has been preserved. The energy concept has been customized for this building. Residual heat from the data equipment of the KPN servers in the basement is used to preheat the tap water and to heat the floors in the apartments and restaurant. Water is also heated with solar boilers on the flat roof at the rear of the building. The building is heated and cooled with electric heat pumps. Enough energy is generated to supply the needs of almost all apartments and some of the restaurant.
In the facade of Floating Gardens nature, renewable energy generation and aesthetic quality are combined down to the last detail
The sustainable VenduDak is an example of urban greening, from a gray, paved surface to a biodiverse and nature-inclusive garden
Well-being
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 the natural light, the right materials – often natural – and colour schemes. Moreover, the accessibility of buildings is important in allowing everybody to experience the architecture.
Health
To stimulate the health of users, buildings must have a comfortable interior climate, sufficient daylight and fresh air. We encourage physical exercise by integrating facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, and by designing spaces in such a way that people are encouraged to take the stairs. Integrating greenery into the building or designing attractive outdoor green spaces ensures that people can enjoy clean and fresh air.
In the design of our buildings as well as in our living and working environment, health is an important factor. To give you more insight into the current distribution of the corona virus, we provide a link to a COVID-19 dashboard, which tracks and analyses current data for the Netherlands and the rest of the world and presents probable future scenarios.
Social
We want to design spaces that foster social interaction between the various users of the building and its 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 can also ensure more affordable homes while allows for a varied programme.
Zonnehof combines two schools under one roof, each with its own identity in light, color and organization
The design brings together two different schools under one roof, without compromising their individual identities. Each school has a separate entrance with its own playgrounds. Within the more generic structure of the building, the internal organisation of each school has been custom designed. As a result, two entirely different spatial settings co-exist inside the building. The public elementary school De Grote Beer is organised into a number of educational clusters around separate learning plazas, while the A. Bekemaschool has compact classrooms or ‘base camps’ around large central learning plazas. Atriums in both schools connect different levels and help people find their way. Various types of skylights admit daylight into the heart of the schools. This, in combination with the restrained material and colour choices, contribute to a bright, clear learning environment.
The holiday home truly enhances the well-being and health with a complete wooden finishing, optimal daylighting through large windows, a big terrace and lots of greenery around the building
Kaap Noir embraces the soul and spirit of Katendrecht, with its edgy naval history. The bold and industrial looking mixed use building, with flexible loft like floorplans and exoskeleton of steel, shelters a warm and playful heart for public and communal services
Context
We carefully investigate what a building needs to be: a new icon for the area, or a careful extension to the existing urban fabric and part of a larger system. Our aim is to preserve and strengthen local values as much as possible by meticulously integrating a building into its surroundings. Designing on the basis of the ‘genius loci’ allows existing structures to be strengthened, and thus the building can be of social and economic value to a larger area.
Economic
By deploying high-quality materials and by detailing in a well-thought-out and careful manner, we contribute to the solidity, sustainability and flexibility of the building. This lowers maintenance costs in the long term and reduces the need to replace materials, which in turn has a positive effect on the lifecycle costs of the building. Devising ways to build in a future-proof way ensures that materials can retain their value. By setting up a BIM model, we try to reduce the costs of failure and to contribute to a more efficient design and construction process.
Communal
We believe that by using available space efficiently and designing attractive public space, we can create places that are embraced by users and people from the surroundings. Designing in dialogue with users and neighbours, and integrating local culture, makes people feel part of the building and the community. This results in places where people want to be and encounter one another, and places that people feel responsible for.
New Gold Dream’s gold-colored spires form a special roofscape, which refers to St. Petersburg’s monumental center
The design concept of KCAP + ORANGE focuses on enhancing the iconic value of the city of St. Petersburg and on creating an attractive and high-quality environment for living, working and recreation. The peninsula will be enlarged with a park to enjoy the waterfront at the Finnish Bay. Solid blocks and a diversity of enclosed urban courtyards define the urban layout and refer to the historical structure of St. Petersburg. Towers form the layer above the urban blocks. They allow for spectacular panorama views to the sea and the city center. Topped with gold-coloured spires, in the tradition of St. Petersburg’s architecture, a unique landmark silhouette of Vasilyevskiy Island evolves and creates an expressive, recognizable and iconic image.
The new entrance of the Maassluis museum functions as a beacon in the surrounding roof landscape, integrated into the historic street scene through the use of contemporary shapes and high-quality materials and detailing
Jonas is a new concept for collective and sustainable living, containing a mix of different types of rental and owner-occupied apartments, wrapped around beautiful designed public spaces
How generous can you be! The doors are open, and the living room and forest are accessible to the public. During the daytime, everybody can visit the canyon or stroll around the harbour through the building. During the summer, the building and surrounding spaces become a venue for all sorts of activities: swimming in the sheltered natural swimming pool, watching a film from the rock (projected onto the front facade of the building), playing beach volleyball on the square, or sunbathing on the rooftop beach. During the winter, the building is like a warm and welcoming fireplace glowing in a living room. The result is a sound and coherently programmed building that breathes life into this strip of land. A building people can visit and where people can come together. A real heart for IJburg!
