Profiel

Since its foundation, Koen van Velsen architects has developed a rich and varied body of work, ranging from cultural to residential, from health to education and from infrastructure to offices.

Each design by Koen van Velsen architects is always a unique solution as a response to a specific location, program, budget and specific user and client requirements.

Although Koen van Velsen architects is working more and more on (large) public projects, projects differ and vary in scale, program, character and complexity. All projects are the result of a specific design solution and therefore are devoid of a
trademark architectural signature. Large or small, transformation or new-built, public or private: each project receives the attention it requires.

Despite the variation, projects by Koen van Velsen architects also share common themes such as the integration of the building in the surrounding environment and the attention for coherence, experience, spatial quality and materialisation and detail. All projects have a strong fundamental idea in common which recurs at all levels and during all project phases: from design to realisation. This way, Koen van Velsen architects strives each and every time to finding the best suited response to the question.

Mensen

Koen van Velsen architects consists of a multidisciplinary team of designers working together on a wide-range of projects ranging from architecture, interior, landscape and urban design.

Projects by Koen van Velsen architects are being recognized and respected, both nationally and internationally. For example, Multifunctional Rehabilitation Centre Groot Klimmendaal was awarded Building of the Year by the Association of Dutch Architects. The building also won the first Hedy d’Ancona Award for excellent healthcare architecture and the Dutch Design public award. In 2011, the building was awarded international health building of the year during the World Architecture Festival. Koen van Velsen architects was nominated in 2013, 2011, 2003, 1992 en 1990 with several buildings for the international European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. In 2011, Groot Klimmendaal was a finalist for this Award.
Koen van Velsen received a number of distinctions for his work such as the Mart Stam Award from the city of Amsterdam, the Rietveld Award from the city of Utrecht and the BNA cube, the oeuvre award from the Association of Dutch Architects for his outstanding contribution to Dutch architecture. Koen van Velsen was a member of several architecture juries including the jury of the Abe Bonnema Award, the Hedy d’Ancona Award and the BNA cube.

Between 2009 and 2015, Koen van Velsen was Dutch Railroad Architect on behalf of NS and ProRail. With special attention for an integral approach to design projects, Koen van Velsen strived amongst others for the NSP projects, a better cohesion between train stations and the surrounding public realm and an improved meaning of stations within the public context. From January until September 2015, Koen van Velsen was acting Government Architect and part of the Committee of Government Advisors.