April 18, 2024 Awards, News
With urgent climate challenges and a growing world population that will largely live in urban areas, cities need to reinvent themselves as places where both humanity and nature can thrive. We design “healthy cities” to bring about vibrant and resilient environments with a rich, inclusive urban life, rebalanced mobility system, meaningful social cohesion, and a true connection with nature.
Design for resilient communities
First and foremost, we design spaces that provide people with opportunities to live healthy, inspired and meaningful lives. We always delve into the complex dynamics of history, culture and way of life that is specific to each place while working together with each community and their inhabitants to achieve the best possible design outcome. In doing so, our designs are both site specific and inclusive: deeply rooted, meaningful places that make cities liveable and enjoyable, and allowing for informal use while sustaining resilient communities.
Urban biotopes
We do way more than just bring local flora and fauna into the city; we strive to create an environment where biodiversity and the city can thrive together. To achieve this, we research and develop tools, methods and solutions that deal with the actual circumstances and (micro)climates of the cities we design for, including shadow, wind, soil and air quality, as well as the types and degrees of cultural activities. This way we create urban biotopes that are truly integrated and make for healthy, resilient neighbourhoods and cities.
Merwedekanaal, Zone 5
Vibrant cities
Our goal is to design public spaces that feel welcoming, safe and well-used; year-round and at any given moment. Our designs tap into the rhythms, habits and flows of cities and neighbourhoods and aim to complement these while also adding value. This can be in the form of program, added functions or possibilities for creative and informal use. Based on thorough research and input from experts and users, our public spaces strive to be meaningful and feel well-cared-for at all times, day or night. In turn, this contributes to the realisation of vibrant cities that are truly safe, welcoming and inclusive.
Koopmansplein - Assen
Jaarbeursplein - Utrecht
A healthy approach to mobility
We design healthy, effective mobility networks that are an integral part of smoothly functioning economies and vibrant city life. Our design strategies are compatible with (but not reliant on) current shifts in contemporary movement, like trends toward active mobility, multimodal transport, shared mobility and electrification.
By approaching mobility from a spatial point of view we create space for efficiency and smooth circulation on one hand – and health, well-being and public life on the other.
