For owners Diederik and Britta van Egmond, of Van Egmond architects, architecture is instilled in them. To MASTERS, the two masters tell about their company, the interior project they did for John de Mol and the Royal Family. A clever piece of work.Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer | Online Editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: John van Helvert
Britta: "With a mother as an interior designer and a father as an architect, we grew up, literally, under the drawing board. It was obvious that we would both study architecture and eventually work in my father's firm." Diederik: "In 2008, we took over the management. Then came the construction crisis. That had a tremendously purifying effect. It was an experience that shaped us both, because you learn to appreciate each assignment. A good lesson in humility and gratitude. We survived the crisis with all our might. That was really a kind of entrepreneurial test - nice that you can draw a beautiful house, but can you also run an agency well? During that period we mapped out what we are good at and what we are not so good at. Our strength lies in solving complex cases. When we are asked for a simple plan, I don't know if our added value is tremendous. But when it comes to a case with a high degree of complexity, for example a complicated zoning plan or large-scale project, we are not only good at the design, but also at the entire supervision of the process and the realization of the goal we have in mind. That goes far beyond just "Is the house beautiful?" or "Are those hundred apartments stacked properly?". There is a lot involved in architecture, in that respect we are a kind of spider in the web."
Britta: "Architecture is much broader than just making a drawing. We work with builders, but also with lawyers, planners, demographers, artists... How do we get everyone on board so that we can achieve a result that looks aesthetically fantastic and also works very well functionally and meets all the preconditions? Our clients have many requirements and conditions. It is always about complexity on different scales. From luxury villas in which we determine in detail all the furniture, fabrics and finishes to projects at the city level in which we look at how we will live together in the future." Diederik: "We believe very much in the manufacturability of the future. You have to look ahead: What will the population composition look like? How will we travel to work later on? But also, on a smaller level: how does a villa client live now and in ten years? The home must be able to be adapted accordingly. For example, we have done the house of John de Mol. A successful entrepreneur, but also a loving grandfather. He must be able to be both in his home. He must be able to receive both the international business leaders and his grandchildren. And how does he want to use that house ten years from now?" Britta: "Every design starts with a personal story. We sit down with someone first: how do you live, what time do you go to bed, what kind of work do you do?" Diederik: "We also work for the Royal Family. Then you have to think about what the monarchy will look like in fifteen years. We look for future-oriented solutions that stand the test of time. The same goes for office buildings: I am convinced that in fifteen years we will be laughed at for the office building of today. Working is changing: people are working more from home, doing more digitally. What will that look like in the future?"
Diederik: "Our designs are an expression of the zeitgeist, a response to social issues and personal dreams. Take the riots after the imposition of the curfew. Everyone shouts: ridiculous! But you can also ask the question: why are these people so angry? There are quite a few steps: you are sitting at home watching television and decide to put on a hoodie and take the train to Rotterdam. Usually along the way there is someone who says, "Would you? Or do those people live in a place where no one says that? Have we been working together for years to make residential neighborhoods that we are socially completely out of control? Those are big and uncomfortable topics, but you shouldn't have the fear to broach them. If an apartment building is created, see if it can be a mix of villas and small homes, so that social cohesion is strengthened." Britta: "Shouldn't the way we are doing things change? What is a healthy lifestyle where you can be happy and joyful? If young people have to live smaller because housing is not affordable for them, let's provide bigger parks where they can move, design hubs where they can work, hotspots where they can make music and art together. How do we distribute the space we have and provide incentives to achieve a happy society?"
Diederik: "On the one hand, we do large-scale urban plans, complete residential areas with mini-societies. On the other hand, we do very exclusive villas, where the complexity of a mini society is encompassed by one building. The common thread in both is big thoughts, which in the end we try to make very small and personal. We are not afraid to think big, but then also down-to-earth enough to make it applicable. What is van Egmond Architects good at? We know how to bring complex issues at large and small levels to essence and solve them with concrete examples." Britta: "We don't have the idea that we are the great improvers who are going to rearrange the world for a while, but we do want to commit ourselves to that. If everyone makes their contribution, we will become a little better together. "Diederik and Britta van Egmond
Diederik and Britta van Egmond
Diederik and Britta van Egmond
Diederik and Britta van Egmond
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