Benthem Crouwel Architects

Benthem Crouwel Architects is an international multidisciplinary architectural firm with offices in The Netherlands and Germany. It was founded in 1979 by Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel. In 2005, Joost Vos and Marten Wassmann joined as partners. Today, the architecture office employs some seventy staff and has branches in Amsterdam, Paris and Düsseldorf.

For almost four decades Benthem Crouwel Architects has been creating innovative, flexible and efficient designs that must meet high standards and complex user requirements. Their field of work extends from (public) buildings to infrastructural projects and urban master plans. Whether they are renovating or modernizing a building or designing a completely new structure, they always seek clear, unique and efficient solutions. The office is renowned for skilfully controlling the entire design and planning process in terms of both time and costs. Benthem Crouwel Architects is well organized and has plenty of experience in supervising complex processes at all scales.

Listening is an important quality in fully understanting all questions that arise during a design process. They want to discover ‘the question behind the question’, because that can help them to discover what really matters. Good architecture begins with clear thinking and thorough analyis. They have a deep love of building and want people to enjoy their designs and genuinely appreciate them.

Benthem Crouwel Architects has gained international fame with projects such as the new Stedelijk Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Anne Frank House and Rotterdam Central Station. The office has extensive experience in designing infrastructure. They have been involved for decades in major projects, such as Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the recently completed stations railway zone Delft and The Hague Central Station. Under construction are Utrecht Central Station, Amsterdam Central Station and the new North/South metro link in Amsterdam. Other well known projects are concert hall Ziggo Dome, congress and exhibition centre RAI Amsterdam, university faculties in Nijmegen, Amsterdam and Osnabrück (Germany).

We at Benthem Crouwel take a realistic view of our work. Our ideas seem to have lost nothing of their value after 25 years. Good architecture begins with clear thinking, better solutions come from digging deeper. Which is why we like clients who ask questions and have opinions of their own. We are not after sensation and extravagance but seek the core of the matter. This, in our experience, is how to achieve designs that steer clear of the obvious. Creativity thrives in a climate of orderliness and rationality. Our firm is known for its ability to keep the entire process under control, in terms of both time and costs. We can talk about our work for hours, although what others say about it is more revealing.

The former factory building in which De Pont is housed, plays a considerable role in creating our museum's image. Artists and visitors immediately feel at home in it, and the installation of exhibitions is sheer bliss. Benthem Crouwel's approach with the renovation showed respect for what was there and vision with respect to what it could and has, in fact, become: the most beautiful museum in the Netherlands. Hendrik Driessen, director of De Pont. They work wonders with light and space to construct cathedrals of glass.Henk van Veldhuizen, director of Noord/Zuidlijn project office

Benthem Crouwel have succeeded in giving form to the concept of 'unity in duality' in a most superior way. That is a question of architecture. Moreover, they have been gloriously successful in turning the face of the Stedelijk Museum toward the Museumplein. That is a question of urban design. In both fields, with this design Benthem Crouwel prove themselves masters of their craft. Jury report: architect selection for the Stedelijk Museum

We chose Benthem Crouwel on their proven ability to meet complex logistical challenges by combining ingenuity with dependability, timeliness and a professional attitude.Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA)

As architects they make an excellent contribution. They do not limit themselves to the role of pure designers, but they are also the source of inspiration of the whole process including the other disciplines involved. Like a spider in the web Benthem Crouwel Architekten integrate the contributions of all parties concerned. This leads to projects which, in spite of the complexity of the demands, are marked by transparent structure, clear design and a character of their own.

Jury report: Kubus award Royal Institute of Dutch Architects
As a building, 013's just brilliant. Renske, student (at scholieren.com)