KAAN Architecten is a Rotterdam, São Paulo and Paris based architectural firm operating globally and merging practical and academic expertise within the fields of architecture, urbanism and research on the built environment.
Led by Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen and Dikkie Scipio, the studio consists of an international team of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, engineers, and graphic designers. KAAN Architecten believes in cross-pollination between projects and disciplines as an essential tool to fostering a critical debate within the firm.
Since their launch, the office has handled and supervised a wide range of projects, actively working within the private and the public sector, with project teams that have become increasingly multidisciplinary and dynamic. KAAN Architecten maintains a culture of constant evolution, which is essential in a rapidly changing profession. The Dutch firm seeks to uphold long-term relationships with its clients, consultants and partners.
KAAN Architecten’s projects transcend the traditional notions of scale and typology, ranging from furniture and interiors to urban development and from retail and offices to museums and buildings for health and education.
The firm expanded its international presence with satellite offices in São Paulo (2015) and Paris (2019). Both branches continue the multidisciplinary design approach set out by the Dutch headquarters.
Founders
Kees Kaan founded KAAN Architecten in 2014 together with partners Vincent Panhuysen and Dikkie Scipio. Kaan graduated in architecture at Delft University of Technology in 1987.
Kaan is Chair of the department of Complex Projects at the faculty of Architecture at Delft University of Technology since 2006. His research focuses on large complex projects that characterize rapid global urbanization. In 2019 Kaan was appointed Chairman of the Architecture Department. Moreover, he has been Principal Investigator at Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) since 2016.
Kaan is an international lecturer and sits on various juries and boards, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Numerous books and exhibitions have been dedicated to his body of work.
Vincent Panhuysen founded KAAN Architecten in 2014 together with partners Kees Kaan and Dikkie Scipio. He previously joined the office of Claus en Kaan Architecten in 1997 and became a partner in 2002.
Panhuysen began his training at the Amsterdam Technical School for Wood and Furniture Crafts, continued his studies at the School of the Arts in Utrecht and the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture. This unique education allows Panhuysen to control the entire process of building from concept to detailing. Panhuysen projects range from furniture to urban planning.
Dikkie Scipio has been trained in various crafts. She studied applied arts, industrial and interior design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and afterwards qualified as an architect at the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture. Simultaneously she owned a gallery in Amsterdam and a design studio in Utrecht. In 1995, she joined Claus en Kaan Architecten (later KAAN Architecten) and became a partner in 2002. Scipio’s training allows her to lead work, ranging from large-scale master plans in urbanism and architecture to furniture and interior design, from initial concept to execution. She is an expert in complex projects and processes focusing on museums and renovating heritage. Scipio is also a writer, columnist, international lecturer, and member of several boards and juries. As a spokeswoman for integrated art and craftsmanship in architecture, her views have been featured in many publications and documentaries. Since 2019 she has been a professor at the Münster University of Applied Sciences, where she holds a chair in Architectural Design.
Team
General Managing Director: Renata Gilio
Director France: Marylène Gallon
Director Brazil: Marco Peixe D’Elia
Managing Architects: Timo Cardol, Marco Lanna, Hrvoje Šmidihen, Aldo Trim
Bridggit Agyeman / Ekin Arin / Allard Assies / Bas Barendse / Pooja Bhave / Eline Blom / Diana Boogaart / Sjoerd Boomars / Jasper van Boxtel / Dennis Bruijn / Timo Cardol / Alice Colombo / Javier Cuartero / Sebastian van Damme / Marco Peixe D’Elia / Luuk Dietz / Vittorio Domanda / Eli Dorsman / Stijn Drolenga / Maartje Eggink / Maria Finagina / Raluca Firicel / Isabella Flore / Christiaan Frankin / Marylène Gallon / Michael Geensen / Juliana Generoso / Renata Gilio / Lisa Goes / Martin Grech / Narine Gyulkhasyan / Thomas Hagemeijer / Maruli Heijman / Walter Hoogerwerf / Aleksandar Hrib / Alejandra Huesca Campillo / Sophie Ize / Aida Jalili / Jan Teunis ten Kate / Bo Kuiper / Marco Lanna / Christine Lie / Yinghao Lin / Julia Linde-van den Heuvel / Tom van Lint / Nicki van Loon / Ricardo Marmorato / Fabien Marveilleux / Sander Meert / Jannik Niewiadomski / Damien Nuyts Roussel / Hannes Ochmann / Giovanni Pancotti / Apollonia Pires / Natalia Poli / Ivan Potapenko / Agata Proniak / Giacomo Rizzi / Elia Salcedo / Edwin Scharringa / Amir Shokouhi / Joeri Spijkers / Hrvoje Šmidihen / Yağiz Söylev / Olga Surogina / Aldo Trim / Clémence Vallée / Michalina Wawro / Magdalena Wierzbicka / Jelmer van Zalingen / Samara Zukoski