Inside the October/November 2013 issue a full review of the renovation project.
Journalist Eva Vroom defines itsthe study square: “A generous and light space able to connect the various programme’s spaces in an elegant manner.”
Construction of KAAN Architecten’s mixed use complex in Lille, France is in its final stages. Located right along the canal of the Deûle river, the set of buildings will encompass residential units, offices and a group of commercial spaces located on the lower levels.
End of construction is expected in 2019. Once completed, Ilot 13 will be the fourth project by KAAN Architecten built in France including recently inaugurated Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay. In addition, the monolithic Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat in Lille will open its doors to the public at the beginning of 2019.
Photographs by Sebastian van Damme.
This Thursday, 13 December, Kees Kaan will participate in the lecture series ‘Making Architecture’ at TU Eindhoven together with Jeroen van Schooten (Team V Architectuur). In a double lecture format, the speakers will elaborate on a number of projects that show how the process of making – from concept to building, unfolds within their offices.
The event will take place in the Filmzaal of the Zwarte Doos at the TU Eindhoven at 19.30. The lecture series is organized by AnArchi, Study Association for Architecture, and Juliette Bekkering of The Chair of Architectural Design and Engineering (ADE) at the TU Eindhoven. Find out more here.
A month ago, the jury led by Dikkie Scipio crowned the De Meester 2018 award winner Bram van Ooijen and his project project ‘Wihdatopia’. Following the ceremony, a full report was issued elaborating the judging process, the nominated projects and the ultimate winner.
The De Meester jury was comprised of the journalist and author Tracy Metz, architect Bjarne Mastenbroek, urban planner Karen van Vliet, and Rotterdam Festivals director Johan Moerman, led by KAAN Architecten founding partner Dikkie Scipio. During the event, all three candidates presented their projects followed by a panel discussion with the judges. However, it was Bram’s study of the refugee crisis as an urban problem of the 21st century that left a lasting impression on the jury and led him to the De Meester title.
Through his project, Bram questioned the role of the urban planner in a complex situation set in a Palestinian refugee settlement where there is no control by a form of central authority. Based on this, he formulated a strategy to develop the refugee camp from the state of exception into an inclusive urban district. The jury praised his impressive analysis and proposals which would serve as catalysts for future architectural and urban development of the area. Nevertheless, the prize also comes as a further assignment for Bram to clarify how city makers can contribute to this issue within their discipline.
Follow the link to explore the complete project and read the full jury report.
This September, CUBE Education and Self Study Centre opened its doors for the start of the new academic year at Tilburg University. Months later, the building is in full use by over 2200 students and faculty daily. Featured photo report captures the atmosphere and activities over the course of a typical school day in CUBE.
Nestled unassumingly among the trees, the building is anchored into the landscape by the paved orthogonal pathways that guide users to the entrances. Once inside, the ground floor unfolds as a progression of public spaces – open study areas, lounges, circulatory spaces and a restaurant. They stretch inside and out, allowing users of the study plaza the freedom to study or take a break within the same space. Abundant daylight and sweeping sight lines through the building allow the structure and surroundings to flow seamlessly into each other.
Photo reportage by Sebastian van Damme. See the atmosphere from the opening of the academic year in CUBE here.
To mark the release of the new Crematorium Siesegem project, KAAN Architecten has published a book showcasing the design.
Nestled in the landscape, the crematorium building is a comforting sequence of spaces in symbiotic relationship with its tranquil surroundings. It is an ode to verticality, while being horizontal and pure in its geometry and balanced proportions. Its calm, easily readable environment and tranquil landscape merge together to emanate genuine serenity.
Explore the Crematorium Siesegem showcased through the photographs of Simone Bossi and Sebastian van Dame here.
Utopia – Library and Academy for Performing Arts in Belgium and Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay in France have been nominated for 2019 edition of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award just months after their official release earlier this year.
Both buildings represent landmarks in their respective communities – Utopia as long-awaited cultural hub of Aalst, Belgium and ISMO as a flagship of the new urban campus in France. Complex programmes merging multiple functions and careful contextual design are other common aspects of the nominated projects.
Utopia Library and Academy for Performing Arts incorporates a striking historic building from the second half of the 19th century and rejuvenates the urban landscape while elegantly giving expression to the required functionality. The project was carried out through close collaboration between KAAN Architecten as designer and Van Roey as main contractor. Meanwhile, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay, designed in collaboration with local architects FRES Architectes as a part of the future Paris-Saclay campus, is dedicated to higher education, research and innovation.
Other KAAN Architecten projects nominated in the previous editions of the EU Mies Award include Education Centre Erasmus MC and the Supreme Court of The Netherlands. Organised by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe with support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, the Award is dedicated to recognizing and commending excellence in European architecture. The Jury will announce the 40 shortlisted works at the beginning of 2019, while the 5 Finalist works will be known in February.
Photographs courtesy of Fernando Guerra FG+SG, Delfino Sisto Legnani e Marco Cappelletti.
Every year the Grote Nederlandse Kunstkalender provides a cross section of the current art scene, and the newest issue will feature the work by KAAN Architecten. This year’s edition will be presented during a launch party on Friday, 2 November at Het Industriegebouw.
Marked under the date 13 June 2019 of the new calendar is B30 – a historical building in Bezuidenhoutseweg 30 in The Hague, now transformed into a contemporary and state-of-the-art working environment. The original building acts a vital and sustainable component of the total design brought to life by use of rich materials and clear layouts. 
As such, the renovation process relied heavily on the expertise of the craftsmen who supplied their skills during the construction. In their honor, under the photograph by Karin Borghouts, the calendar also features a short ‘Ode to the Craft’ by KAAN Architecten founding partner Dikkie Scipio:
Ode to the Craft
This is an ode to the craftsmanship of
the carpenters, the painters, the plasterers and the tilers,
of the natural stone workers, the bricklayers and concrete makers,
from road workers, metalworkers, parquet layers and glass-workers,
from the mosaic layers, the furniture makers, upholsterers and carpet weavers.
This is an ode to the creators without whom we were left empty-handed.
This is an ode to the craft.
-Dikkie Scipio
Find more information on the calendar here.
On 25 October, 2018 construction started on De Zalmhaven residential complex on a site adjacent to the former eponymous port in the center of Rotterdam.
De Zalmhaven is developed by AM & Amvest and consists of approximately 450 high-quality apartments located inside two mid-rise towers (by KAAN Architecten) and a skyscraper (by Dam & Partners). The project is expected to be completed by 2021.
Combining both urban and local scales, the new complex feels stately and formal yet also extremely transparent. The two mid-rise towers designed by KAAN Architecten are each 70 metres tall, sprouting from a solid plinth with clearly marked entrances. The footprint of each tower is a split and shifted square, creating more corners and an interesting range of apartments in differing sizes, all with corner windows offering astounding views. The plinth includes family houses with rooftop gardens and has a direct relationship with the surroundings at ground level.
Explore the full design here.
KAAN Architecten was appointed by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) to design the Visitor Center at Netherlands American Cemetery (NEAC) in Margraten after a competitive contracting process.
The new visitor center will be a product of an integrated design process dedicated to creating an effective and efficient facility with the attention to the landscape. KAAN Architecten will take the lead on the design and collaborate with the landscape architecture firm Karres+Brands. Furthermore, the design process will be supported by DGMR, Pieters Bouwtechniek, HP Engineers and B3 Bouwadviseurs.
The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. Situated in the Limburg region, close to Maastricht and the Belgian border, it represents a significant site within the Dutch territory. The cemetery honors and protects the burials of 8,301 American military dead with another 1,722 names inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing, and provides an opportunity for families of the soldiers, local inhabitants and others affected by the war to commemorate those buried in the cemetery, and to learn about the dynamics leading to the liberation of Europe. For this reason, ABMC plans to enhance the understanding of the NEAC by constructing a visitor center with interpretative exhibits at the cemetery which will complement the site in both style and dignity.
Organized by the Fleur Groenendijk Foundation in collaboration with Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design and under the guidance of Dikkie Scipio, the De Meester award serves to highlight and promote work of young architecture graduates in the Netherlands.
In less than two weeks, this years nominees will present their projects in front of the jury in order to win the title of De Meester. Led by chairman Dikkie Scipio, the jury is comprised of the journalist and author Tracy Metz, architect Bjarne Mastenbroek, urban planner Karen van Vliet, and Rotterdam Festivals director Johan Moerman. All nominated projects address topical issues of urban life while questioning the disciplines of architecture and urban planning.
The graduation project of Nina van Osta focuses on elderly people with physical or mental disabilities which are often marginalized by the community and forced to live in less than adequate conditions. The project offers an alternative in the form of a pleasant and safe living environment where the elderly can lead their lives as independently and actively as possible and where care facilities, activities and social relations are within reach.
On the other hand, nominee Jurian Voets forms an alternative to the ‘Living Vision 2030’, in which the municipality of Rotterdam actively encourages gentrification without showing a vision of suitable urban housing for existing and future residents. This alternative is the ‘intense city’, the city where living together and meeting are central, where high density and diversity of people lead to more variety, a rich level of amenities and a healthy local economy.
Finally, nominee Bram van Ooijen responds to the refugee crisis as an urban problem of the twenty first century. Based on this, Bram formulates a strategy on the basis of which the refugee camp can develop from the state of exception into an inclusive urban district. The project investigates the possible future for a Palestinian refugee settlement, which in 2017 was still dependent on international aid.
Interested to know more? Join the De Meester 2018 event and award ceremony on 31 October 2018, at Garage Rotterdam, for an evening of dynamic discussions and new ideas. Register to attend the event here.
