Poetic Engineering
Based on its clear views on design in the built environment Jeanne Dekkers Architecture has realized many high-profile buildings. The firm seeks and finds the best fitting responses for each commission. Every design process begins with getting thoroughly acquainted with the commission by rephrasing the definition of the problem and a study into four key aspects. ‘Looking and listening’ to the location, the brief, the purpose and background of the client and the user and being receptive to invisible factors. These are important to understand as fully as possible what the commission actually is, and to fully master it.
At Jeanne Dekkers Architecture, discovering the essence behind the mundane aspects of a given environment is important. We approach every commission from the history and significance of the location: ‘the gift of location’. In discovering the individuality of the area, the characteristic of the client’s desire and the uniqueness of the hidden existing significance, a new image is created that leads to a unique architectural interpretation. Poetry (light and space, colour and texture) and engineering (size and proportion, detail and engineering) are our main ingredients for a building that functions well in all aspects and that everyone is proud of. Alongside sustainability, flexibility and orientation to the future are themes that we do not lose sight of. Moreover, during the design we monitor the budget. This method makes the joint architectural ambition feasible and leads to an actual new building, as it were “a dream that lands”.
Sustainability in the built environment
Sustainable building in the view of Jeanne Dekkers Architectuur is not a goal but a consequence resulting from a design attitude. The responsibility you have as an architect for mankind, society and the world for the short and long term is expressed in a vision of the built environment. Through the conscious application of materials, technology and knowledge from all aspects of sustainability a building with a unique beauty arises naturally. An integrated design process in which interests, needs and possibilities of location, user, building and environment are interactive, leads from the start to an optimal end product. Nature is the inspiration and the goal, nature has no waste in the sense of energy and beauty, nature is in balance in its natural cycle. Considering the built environment as part of nature, in which the reuse of materials and energy is the starting point, leads to a balanced environment in equilibrium with nature. This creates a sustainable world with a natural beauty.
Sustainability in the built environment is more than meeting the necessary (environmental) technical and functional requirements dictated by laws and standards. Beauty is in our view more than a critical condition, it is also an ethical condition. This extends into our office, to the way we approach our office, our people and our housing, how we approach our customers and prospective users, and how we participate in educational and cultural events. Sustainability in relationships leads to better communication and is therefore a constant seedbed for deepening knowledge and insights. To share and communicate visions and to test them for the future, leads to focus and innovation. This fresh, open attitude is the breeding ground for an open relationship with the environment, in which naturally an optimal and sustainable response to the questions will be found.
It is a “education permanente”, where each new building is a reflection on our principles, in which our expertise in technical, sociological, environmental and economic sense are used.