Benthem Crouwel Architects is a Dutch architectural firm founded in 1979 by Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel. Today, partners Pascal Cornips, Daniel Jongtien, Saartje van der Made and Joost Vos lead an international team of 60 professionals at the Amsterdam based Benthem Crouwel LAB. They work on projects from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The architecture practice covers every shape, scale and service of design. A diverse and international portfolio and over four decades of experience ensure they are fully equipped to tackle any urban challenge. This results in high quality sustainable urban environments and flexible, mixed-use buildings that are a pleasure to dwell in. Benthem Crouwel Architects designs beyond architecture - creating buildings, spaces and infrastructure that contribute to an urban ecosystem. The end result is a collection of seamlessly integrated functionalities - buildings that are meaningful, practical and beautiful.

History

The founding partners Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel met in 1979 at the Delft University of Technology, where one of the professors introduced them because he thought they would make a good team. They started their firm Benthem Crouwel Architects the same year, from a small basement in an Amsterdam canal house. A key project in the early period was the home of Jan Benthem himself, De Fantasie in Almere (1982-1984). The house shows the pragmatic approach combined with the spatial and technical innovation that is typical for the office. At that time they also got a series of assignments for customs emplacements on the border of The Netherlands with Belgium and Germany. After several assignments at

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...

, such as a bicycle parking, Benthem Crouwel became the master architect Schiphol in 1986, in cooperation with NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants). Since 1989 Benthem Crouwel is the supervisory architect of the international exhibition and conference centre of The Netherlands, Amsterdam RAI. Amsterdam (NL), Anne-Frank-Huis -- 2015 -- 7185

Amsterdam (NL), Anne-Frank-Huis -- 2015 -- 7185

Benthem Crouwel has designed museums, public buildings and transit. Some examples are the

Anne Frank House The Anne Frank House ( nl, Anne Frank Huis) is a writer's house and biographical museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterdam ...

(1999)and

Ziggo Dome The Ziggo Dome ( or ) is an indoor arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands, located next to the Johan Cruijff ArenA. It is named after the Dutch cable TV provider Ziggo. In 2014, the Ziggo Dome Awards were announced, recognizing artists who performed at ...

(2012) in Amsterdam, De Pont museum for contemporary art, Tilburg (1993), restoration and expansion of Las Palmas, Rotterdam (2008), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2012), Datacenter AM4 (2017) and two office buildings for the Dutch Charity Lotteries (2018) and ING (2020). The office is also involved in infrastructural projects. One of the newest projects are the North/South Line (Amsterdam Metro) and the renewal of all major Dutch transportation hubs; Amsterdam Central station, Utrecht Central station, Rotterdam Central station and The Hague Central station. And bridges, such as Muiderbrug, A1 Amsterdam – Rijnkanaal (2010) and the High Speed Train longest bridge at Hollandsch Diep (2006). Mels Crouwel was Chief Government Architect from 2004 till 2008. In 2021, the company won the contract for the design of the new

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Selection of completed projects

* 1984 House Benthem, Almere, NL * 1993

Museum De Pont De Pont Museum is a contemporary art museum in Tilburg, North Brabant, the Netherlands. De Pont has been named after the attorney and businessman Jan de Pont (1915-1987), whose estate provided for the establishment of a foundation to stimulate con ...

, Tilburg, NL * 1993 Terminal West, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, NL * 1995 Schiphol Plaza, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, NL * 1995 Station Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, NL * 1996 Malietower, Den Haag, NL * 1998 Station building,

Lelystad Airport Lelystad Airport is an airport south southeast of the city of Lelystad in Flevoland, Netherlands. It is the biggest general aviation airport in the Netherlands. The first flights were in 1971 and it became an official airport in 1973. Schipho ...

, NL * 1998 Pop venue 013, Tilburg, NL * 1999

, Amsterdam, NL * 2001 Villa ArenA, Amsterdam, NL * 2002 Photo museum FOAM, Amsterdam, NL * 2002 GEM, Museum of Contemporary Art, Den Haag, NL * 2004

Gerrit Rietveld Academie The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, also known as Rietveld School of Art & Design and Rietveld Academy, is an art academy in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The academy was founded in 1924 and offers programs in fine arts and design. History In 1924, the I ...

, Amsterdam, NL * 2006 Bridge High Speed Train, Hollandsch Diep, NL * 2008 Penthouse Las Palmas, Rotterdam, NL * 2009 Etrium, Köln, D * 2009 Elicium, Amsterdam RAI, NL * 2009 Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, Bochum, D * 2009 Muiderbridge, Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal, NL * 2009 Metropool, Hengelo, NL * 2010 ACTA, Academisch Centrum voor Tandheelkunde Amsterdam, NL *2011

Amsterdam Museum The Amsterdam Museum, known until 2010 as the Amsterdam Historical Museum, is an Amsterdam-based museum dedicated to the city's past and present. Due to the renovation of its main location, the museum is temporarily located in the building the Amst ...

, Amsterdam, NL * 2012

Stedelijk Museum The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

, Amsterdam, Netherlands * 2015 Expansion

, NL *2013 Fletcher hotel, Amsterdam, NL *2014 Grotius building,

Radboud University Nijmegen Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, nl, Radboud Universiteit , formerly ''Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen'') is a public research university located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century ...

, NL *2014

Rotterdam Central Station Rotterdam Centraal railway station () is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in South Holland, Netherlands. The station received an average of 112,000 passengers daily in 2019. The current station building, located at Station Square, ...

, NL *2015 The Hague Central Station, NL *2015 Paleisbrug, Den Bosch, NL *2016 Utrecht Central Station, NL *2017 AM4 Datacenter, Amsterdam, NL *2017 Railway district Delft, NL *2018 North/South metro line, Amsterdam, NL *2018 Dutch Charity Lotteries Office, Amsterdam, NL *2018

Amsterdam Central Station Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, ...

, NL *2019 Expension Rai hal 5, NL *2020 ING Office, Amsterdam, NL

Selection of current projects

* LAB42 building for University of Amsterdam *

Museum Arnhem Museum Arnhem (formerly known as Gemeentemuseum Arnhem and then Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem) is a museum of modern art, contemporary art, applied art and design in Arnhem, Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_m ...

, NL * Residence Nádraží Žižkov, Prague, CZ *

Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...

, Amsterdam, NL * Datacenter AM7 and 9, Amsterdam NL *Residential building Pulse, Amsterdam, NL *Metro Ligne 17 and 18, Paris, FR *Station Delft Campus, NL *

Diridon station San Jose Diridon station is the central passenger rail depot for San Jose, California. It also serves as a major intermodal transit center for Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley. The station is named after former Santa Clara County Supervisor ...

, USA *

Afsluitdijk The ''Afsluitdijk'' (; fry, Ofslútdyk; nds-nl, Ofsluutdiek; en, "Closure Dyke") is a major dam and causeway in the Netherlands. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and runs from Den Oever in North Holland province to the village of ...

, NL

Selection of awards

* 1989 Berliner Kunstpreis in the category architecture * 1996 Wibautprijs from the City of Amsterdam for the urban development at Schiphol * 1999 BNA Kubus for the contribution to the infrastructural architecture in The Netherlands * 2009 Deutsche Gütesiegel in gold for sustainable building for office building; the Etrium * 2012 AIT Award in the category Health + Care, interior for ACTA, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam * 2012 Hedy d'Ancona Prijs for ACTA, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam *2015 BNA Best building of the year in the Netherlands and Dutch Building Award for high quality innovation, Rotterdam Central Station *2017 The American Architecture Prize design and transportation for Rotterdam Central Station *2018 World Architecture Prize for best building in Amsterdam and ARC18 Architecture Award for the best design of the North/South metro line *2019 BNA Building of the year and Amsterdam Architecture Prize, both for the North/South metro line *2019 Nederlandse Bouwprijs Talent met Toekomst (talent with a future) for Saartje van der Made, remarkable achievement for the North/South metro line *2019 BNA Building of the year and Amsterdam Architecture Prize, both for the North/South metro line

References

External links