ateliervanberlo

We are an atelier for research & architecture, with a strong focus on transformation, learning environments and the city.

More info

About us

Our living environment is changing at a high tempo. Complex questions lie ahead and require inclusive solutions. As design atelier for research and architecture, this is our domain. Driven by curiosity and ambition, we always work with an open attitude. This makes us who we are; a new generation of architects shaping our own future. At any scale; from chair to city, and everything in between.

We believe that an approach of open research is the precondition for good architecture. Every assignment is different, every solution is unique. Research gives us the opportunity to understand the assignment, to define the question behind the question and to develop solutions for complex issues. We interview current and future users and involve insiders and outsiders. Inspiring our clients in making choices is our strength. Together we come to solutions and create added value for society in our own way.

We believe in architecture as an experience; a place that surprises, warms and welcomes. A place that is anchored in both the users and the environment, where meeting each other is central. Public, sustainable and inclusive places that challenge and stimulate people at the same time. We try to connect the past, present and future. In this way we create liveable and balanced places, and dream together of new parts of the city.

Team

Janne van Berlo
Tiemen Anema
Roos van Roessel
Emiel van der Vlies
Marleen Delfos
Alain Scarpa
Roel Teeken

Previous:
Babette van Tilborg – Judith Pellicaan – Seb Brouwer – Justus Schäfer – Frederique van Erven – Jamila Perruchoud – Peter Canisius – Robine van Gaalen – Tom Thijssen – Vera Wittebrood – Veerle Rigter – Rosa Steenkamp – Eline Degenaar – Leonie Boelens – Elmer Pietersma

Awards

2019 – Next Step Award – Winner
2019 – Dezeen Awards – Large workspace interior – Shortlisted
2019 – Dezeen Awards – Rebirth project – Longlist
2019 – A+ award – Concepts + Architecture + renovation – Special Mention
2019 – A+ award – Commercial – co working space – Nominated
2019 – Dirk Roosenburg Prijs – Nomination
2019 – NRP gulden Feniks – Finalist
2019 – European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention – Shortlist
2019 – WADA 2019, APR – VanBerlo Headquarters – Winner
2019 – WADA 2019, APR – Innovation Powerhouse – Honorable mention
2018 – Reynaers projectprijs Innovation Powerhouse – Nomination
2018 – Rethinking the Future sustainability award – Winner

Lectures & Exhibition

2022 – Lecture: Transforming Buildings, Transforming Cities – TH Lübeck
2022 – Exhibition: Prefigurations (The Great Transformation) – Architecture Workroom Brussels
2020 – Lecture: Building Upon – TU Berlin
2018 – Exhibition: Innovation is… – Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Lecture: Innovation Powerhouse – ACE Sponsor Club
2018 – Lecture: Lighthouse club
2016 – Exhibition: The promise of the office – Dutch Design Week 2016

Publications Print

2019 – Bouwwereld No4 – Cover & P 26-31
2019 – SPEECH postindustrial Russia No 32 P 26-31
2019 – ofARCH No 148 – P140-143
2019 – PI – No 4 jaargang 30 – Cover & P 8-12
2019 – Nederlands Architectuur Jaarboek editie 2018-2019
2019 – AIT – Büro und Verwaltung No 04 – P146-149
2019 – Architectuur NL No 3 – p20-23
2019 – Zink Zinc No 5 – Cover & P 9-25
2018 – Architecture Fachmagazine No 07 – P20-21
2018 – C3 No 398 – courthouses and cultural warehouses – p42-53
2018 – Azure magazine – June – p068-075
2018 – The Other Office 3 – Frame publications – 2018 – p343
2017 – Member-S Mag – VanBerlo & Strijp-T – 07-2017 – E9
2017 – ED – De Nieuwe energie van Powerhouse – 20.04.2017
2017 – ED – Strijp-T, van Steenkool naar Design – 09.11.2016
2016 – Stylos yearbook – Sense and Sensibility

Publication Online

2019 – A.zine interview
2019 – Dutch design center Innovation Powerhouse
2019 – Architizer Innovation Powerhouse
2019 – Urbannernext Innovation Powerhouse
2019 – Architectuur Bouwformatie
2019 – ArchitectuurNL Innovation Powerhouse
2019 – GOOOD Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Vastgoedjournaal Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Dezeen Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Frameweb Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Designboom Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – De Architect Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – De Architect VanBerlo Headquarter
2018 – Architectenweb Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Architectural Digest Russia Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Azure Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Archello Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Livingroom – Innovation Powerhouse, In the mirror with
2018 – Retaildesignblog – Innovation Powerhouse
2018 – Studio 040 Innovation Powerhouse

Contact

Atelier van Berlo
Delftseplein 36
3013AA Rotterdam
+31(0)10 8001511
info@ateliervanberlo.com

Seniors and starters in organic architecture

Atelier van Berlo was selected by housing association Habeko Wonen to conduct a feasibility study on the transformation of Het Anker in Hazerswoude-Rijndijk into housing combined with new housing blocks in the surroundings. 

Designed by a young Ton Alberts, Het Anker is typical of organic architecture; a great example of the spirit of the times. After reconstruction, prosperity increased and compartmentalisation declined. In the built environment, people searched for the human scale again and wanted to create places to meet. Het Anker was therefore designed for community and to meet other users. Desires and qualities that we still pursue today. 

In and around the building, there is a desire to create housing for senior citizens and first-time buyers. We do this in consultation with local residents, Habeko Wonen and the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn. Through an intensive participation process, we are gathering the wishes, concerns and ideas from the neighbourhood in order to translate them into a new proposal. The study aims to bring back the former community value of Het Anker and the green surroundings in which the building once stood. In this way the new and current residents have a place to come together.

Photo’s: Lukas Jusas

Housing around a School

The characteristic old school building on the Woenselsestraat has been a landmark in Rapenland for more than 100 years. Throughout its history it has contributed to the well-being of the community in various ways through its social function. The area as a whole offers a fantastic opportunity for making the entire neighbourhood as green as possible and the plan aims to maximise the quality of the living environment.

Behind the school building, on the site of the current Lunetzorg building, a green oasis is created which is enclosed by different types of affordable housing. The social organisation will be given a new location in the monumental school building. This will require minimal adjustments and allows to preserve the social character of the school.

By taking an integrated approach to the area as a whole, it will once again become a coherent ensemble that reinforces the green structure of Rapenland. The existing qualities of the monumental school are combined with new opportunities to form a new green heart for the neighbourhood. Together with the new garden, the old school will form a new unique part of the city Eindhoven. A place for current and future local residents, a place for meeting and caring for each other.

Type: Transformation of a School & Housing
Location: Eindhoven
Status: Competition
Architects: Atelier van Berlo
Landscape design: Veenenbos en Bosch

Het Streek Lyceum

Atelier van Berlo and Ector Hoogstad Architecten have teamed up to design a secondary school in Ede. The new premises is set to be the stomping ground for a student and staff body of 1.500. Representatives from both user groups were actively involved in the design process, thereby yielding a design informed by the school’s desire to become even more close-knit as a community. The social and spatial heart of the new building is its multifunctional auditorium, which can be used for everything from school plays to social events and church services. Its large glazed façade maximises the views of the leafy setting, its transparency inviting parents, neighbours and business partners to join the community. A large sports hall and vast playing field encourage healthy living and provide opportunities for activities that strengthen the bonds of community.

The building will boast relief-rich facades of brick and wood, lending it an air of calm and aesthetically pleasing symmetry. The school’s dedication to educational technology is manifested in the design in the form of a “Technasium”, a striking transparent volume with a frame of champagne-coloured anodised aluminium that juts out from the main structure and rests on one of the green hills that define the school grounds. The gap created by this composition forms the entrance to the “world of Het Streek”.

The new building will boast much more than its visual appeal and functional qualities; it will also be highly sustainable. Its deliberately compact form, high-performance façade and fossil-fuel free design will keep its energy needs to a minimum. Its construction will employ environmentally friendly building materials, such as wood and sun-dried bricks, supplemented with material salvaged from the old and now-demolished building. The school will be both climate-adaptive and ecologically supportive, boasting among other things a green space for water storage and a patio designed as a leafy oasis. Conceived to meet the government’s “Frisse School” (Fresh Air Schools) requirements regarding natural light, natural ventilation and views of natural scenery, among other things, the building is as equipped as it can be to support the health and well-being of the school’s students and staff.

Type: Learning environment
Location: Ede
Client: Het Streek Lyceum
Architects: Atelier van Berlo & Ector Hoogstad Architecten

Innovation Powerhouse

The former power plant of Philips is transformed into the multi-tenant Innovation Powerhouse. A transformation from a pure, brute, raw and heavy industrial complex – in size and volume completely unsuitable for office use – into a comfortable, breathing, spacious, fresh and young work environment.

The Innovation Powerhouse is an ecosystem for the innovative industries. A centre of creativity; a hyper-modern, multi-tenant building where different companies meet, inspire and stimulate innovation. Situated on Strijp-T, the out of use power plant is an iconic building, a landmark of Eindhoven. Built in four stages, from 1953 till 1972, the power plant used to provide Philips factories with power through coal, gas and later oil.

The two main points of departure for the design were to maintain the building’s innate architectural qualities and to incorporate this vision of open innovation. Throughout the design this idea of connectives was essential. The architects wanted the companies to constantly meet, to create an almost effortless inspiration of one another, which was translated into a vibrant centre.

To create this vibrant centre, the architect created a clear-cut in the building, a straight line through the heart spanning among others the original central backbone, a 5-meter wide high-rise where the cole chutes still hang at 28-meter hight. Next to this central backbone, the roof is opened up by a skylight spanning the full length, bringing light into the otherwise dark centre of the building and revealing the magnitude of the old heavy concrete structure. In addition, this skylight gives a peek at the facade, allowing all who view it to experience the sheer height of the midpoint.

Due to a change in power fuelling, the original design was never finished. Since there was no longer a need for cole chutes, the 5-meter wide high-rise was never finished. Inspired by the original drawings, the architects added a steel vertical garden to the central high-rise, giving the building its originally intended symmetrical look. This vertical garden with meeting rooms, a glass elevator and emergency exit follows the lines and rhythm of the original architecture. The open, transparent and green appearance hints at a new sustainable green energy production.

The symmetrical look is finished by a glass extension at the back of the building. It follows the lines and rhythm of the building, but through a minimalistic detailing and modern materials, it indicated clearly a new phase for this impressive building.

The other interventions, such as the small windows for light in the offices and the main entrance, are kept small, to ensure that the monumental industrial character of the building stays visible. Within the renovation, there was also great attention for sustainability. Due to HR + glass, solar panels, newly isolated walls and roofs, the building now has an A+ energy label.

Type: Transformation
Location: Eindhoven
Client: GeVa
Architects: Atelier van Berlo i.s.m. Eugelink Architectuur & De Bever Architecten
Interior architect: Atelier van Berlo
Photo’s: Tycho Merijn

IKC De Zwanenbloem

De Zwanebloem is a compact, green and sustainable primary school, lying in idyllic surroundings at the edge of the small village Zwaanshoek (NL). The school has an ambitious vision for a more flexible and open learning environment, emphasizing outside learning.

We proposed to create compact classrooms, but to extend them with an outside area and a communal playful inner world. Outside a wooden pergola enables open-air lessons amid nature. The playful inner world between the classrooms, hosts diverse learning places, where scholars can learn, play, and connect. Outside and inside, private and shared, can freely blend within the school.

By shifting the two rows of classrooms, we open-up the corners of the building. With an inviting entrance at one end and an atelier at the other, we bring the beautiful natural surroundings into the heart of the school. Hidden between the trees we propose a wooden shed, hosting technique lessons, where the children can learn by doing with their feet in the mud.

In doing so, we create a flexible and diverse learning environment. During the day, the kids can choose their own workplace, inside their own classroom, in the playful inner world, or somewhere between the trees outside the school.

Type: Transformation & learning environment
Location: Zwaanshoek
Client: Mevrouw Meijer

Amber

Amber is a fast-growing start-up that provides electric car-sharing services for businesses. The interior, designed by the Rotterdam-based architecture office Atelier van Berlo, is a translation of the vision and workflow of Amber. As a dynamic, young, and bold company, they wanted an interior that reflects their way of working. An interior that inspires new clients and brings across their highly ambitious sustainable world vision. 

The design plays with two atmospheres; energetic, young, and bold versus professional and serious. A combination of informal meeting spaces, flex desks, a boardroom, and above all, enough room to brainstorm and bounce new ideas of each other forms the program. 

In the center of the office, a brightly colored zone containing all informal functions divides up the work floor. This central area is the beating heart of the office and includes all informal meeting spaces. A slightly lifted platform integrates the lounge area, brainstorm tables, and meeting space. Its an open zone where coworkers, clients, and partners can meet up, collaborate and inspire one another. The architects allow the users to open up or create a more private space by opening and closing the big curtains. 

At the head sits a blue boardroom, overlooking the office. Here, one can meet in privacy while still remaining in contact with the vibrant heart of the company. The glass walls are used to write ideas on as a giant canvas. The other end of the brightly colored center contains the mint-green kitchen where the team meets up, lunches together, and uses the prominently visible beer tap every Friday. 

The two work floors, separated by the colored center, are entirely grey. The furniture (Boring Collection) blends with the concrete construction, floor, and installations. The chairs and desks suit the industrial characteristics of the building. This ton sur ton approach of the work floors allowed the architects to use bright and energetic colors for the informal meeting areas. The informal zone functions as an acoustic buffer between the two work floors, with the programmers on one side and the helpdesk on the other. 

The design brings together the different workflows, the philosophy of Amber, and the beauty of the original architecture. Located in the Innovation Powerhouse, the former power plant of Philips in Eindhoven (NL), Amber fits seamlessly in the concept of this multi-tenant office building.

Type: Office
Location: Eindoven
Client: Amber
Photo’s: Tycho Merijn

Schellens fabriek

Vision for the redevelopment of the former Schellens factory at the border of the city centre of Eindhoven. The goal was to preserve the current character of the complex and simultaneously add housing to the site in close dialogue with the current inhabitants.

Type: Transformation & strategic vision
Location: Eindhoven
Client: Stadsbrouwerij Eindhoven

Design office VanBerlo

Design company VanBerlo is the initiator of the Innovation Powerhouse, and as such also the first tenant to take place in the new building. Their vision of open innovation, inspiration and connectivity was key in the design of the Innovation Powerhouse, and also in their own offices.

The design firm wanted an inspiring workspace, young, fresh, clean, raw industrial but with high quality. Clients and staff should feel welcome, at home and inspired. This resulted in a design with a large central communal space. An area where everything and everybody come to gather; where staff and visitors come to collaborate, innovate and socialize. All the rooms connect to this space, which also houses an exhibition of market trends and past design products. The main staircase doubles as a mini theatre and impromptu meeting place.

The surrounding rooms are meeting rooms, breakaway rooms,  spaces for informal sessions and presentations, specially designed workshops and rooms for usability tests, hackathons, and scrum sessions, all allowing staff to work intensively on projects together with clients, partners, and universities. To arouse the character of open innovation and transparency, all the interior walls are made of glass, with only a few expectations there where some intimacy was required.

In contrast to the lively communal area, the design team floors are calmer, white gray and natural materials, to create a blanc canvas where  the products and idea’s can occur.

Type: Office
Location: Eindhoven
Client: VanBerlo
Photo’s: Tycho Merijn

Voor de Wind

Met het ontwerp ‘Voor de Wind’ proberen we de dynamiek van de stad Terneuzen vast te leggen. De Westerschelde is constant in beweging met haar getijden. Boten en schepen komen en gaan. Elke inwoner van Terneuzen heeft wel een persoonlijke herinnering aan een vertrekkend of inkomend schip. Of de golvende zeilen van de Vliegende Hollander, of een ander toekomstig avontuur overzee. Terneuzen is een werkende stad, in volle gang, altijd vooruitkijkend.

Deze dynamiek wordt vertaald in een iconische uitkijktoren die haven, water & stad met elkaar verbindt. De toren bestaat uit een cortenstalen schil dat lijkt mee te waaien met de wind. Door zijn vloeiende lijnen lijkt de toren uit de dijk te springen en verankert hij zich in het landschap. Door zijn asymmetrische plaatsing opent de schil zich naar de stad en omarmt naderende bezoekers. Bezoekers worden beschermd tegen harde wind en geluiden. Openingen onder en in de schelp maken het water en andere elementen voelbaar. Binnen de schelp ontstaat een serene en beschermde sfeer, waar de natuurlijke elementen samenkomen. Vanaf het plateau leidt een royale wenteltrap naar boven naar het uitkijkplatform, waar middels een panoramisch uitzicht de stad Terneuzen, de prachtige industrie en de dynamische Westerschelde in haar volle glorie is te bewonderen.

Type: Viewing tower
Location: Terneuzen
Client: ICOON Terneuzen

Maritiem Museum Rotterdam

The municipality of Rotterdam asked us to imagine a vision for Maritime Museum Rotterdam, originally designed by Wim Quist. In this research-by-design trajectory we worked closely with multidisciplinary stakeholders, to analyze, conceptualize and visualize a possible future.

Our proposal reinterpreted the historical Leuvehaven as the heart of the Maritime Museum. Around the water an ensemble of buildings, ships and other relics form a quirky harbor amid the slick city center of Rotterdam. Altogether the elements form a pearl necklace that embraces the versatility of the Maritime Museum. In doing so the Leuvehaven becomes a place where you can wander around, connecting the in- and outside museum naturally.

Atelier van Berlo
Delftseplein 36
3013AA Rotterdam
+31(0)10 8001511
info@ateliervanberlo.com

Colophon

Images and copy

Atelier van Berlo

Branding and website

Rinus van Dam with Evelyne Kramer