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Building upon architecture

Every architectural design carries the seed of a new world. But architecture is never a completely new beginning. All architecture builds on what already is. Building is always the transformation of a world that is already there. Architecture reforms. The aim of any architectural intervention is to improve what is already there, to supplement what is lacking, to repair what is not working. To meet unfulfilled wishes, to give shape to desires and needs. By changing, renewing, reorganising. Not by starting all over again.

Exacting additions

Building upon, and onward can be done in countless ways. At Serge Schoemaker Architects, it starts with the recognition that reform requires open-mindedness and accuracy. Open-mindedness to recognise the valuable qualities and possibilities of what is; accuracy to make what is being reformed part of a greater whole. All this requires not only architectural expertise and craftsmanship, but also a highly developed aesthetic intelligence. A keen eye, a sense of beauty, and a precise hand.

Spatial continuity

Just as the architecture of Serge Schoemaker Architects manages to give the past a place in the present (and vice versa), the work also has a spatial continuity. Transitions from interior to building and from building to environment are designed with the same attention and sense of detail. This gives furniture and interiors an architectural character; buildings the sophistication of a piece of furniture.

Architecture and building

Architecture and construction are closely related to Serge Schoemaker Architects. Just as a graphic designer cannot suffice with indicating how text and illustrations are put on a page, but also needs to know how a book is printed and bound, an architect must know the possibilities (and impossibilities) of building. A thorough knowledge of building forms the self-evident basis for the architectural designs of Serge Schoemaker Architects. Making a design is directly connected with making a building.

Sustained attention

For Serge Schoemaker Architects there is an overlap between the customisation of the design and the manufacturing of the execution. The realisation is directly in line with the design. The ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of making are intimately intertwined. The optimal outcome is achieved through the involvement of designers in the entire process, from initial idea to delivery, and close collaboration with all parties involved, from clients to builders.

Radically understated

The agency bears the founder’s name. Serge Schoemaker’s design attitude is directional and determines the signature of the office, which is radically understated. Yet, it is the addition ‘Architects’, in plural, that indicates that his approach and ideas are shared by the whole team. The office creates architecture that is supported by a personal approach, leading to buildings full of character: tangible, atmospheric, elegant.

Biography

Serge Schoemaker (born 1975 in Amsterdam) studied architecture at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 2001, his graduation project was awarded the Archiprix International.

He worked for the Zurich based office Harder & Spreyermann Architekten on several price-winning competition entries from 2000 to 2002. Between 2002 and 2007, Schoemaker was part of the practice of renowned Swiss architect and Pritzker Prize winner Peter Zumthor, where he served as project architect for the highly acclaimed Kolumba Art Museum in Cologne. The museum rises delicately from the ruins of a late-Gothic church, respecting the site’s history and preserving its essence.

After completion of the museum, he founded Serge Schoemaker Architects in Amsterdam in 2008. Besides running his own practice, Schoemaker is a visiting lecturer at different architecture schools in the Netherlands. His work has been frequently published in online and print journals. In 2020, Schoemaker gained international recognition with the transformation of the UNESCO-site Fort Hoofddorp, part of the historic Defence Line of Amsterdam.

Team

Serge Schoemaker Architects is a Royal BNA chartered practice. The practice is led by architect and founder Serge Schoemaker. With a dedicated, diverse and international team of designers, he works on projects ranging from renovations and transformations from monuments, to expansions and new built projects.

Current team

Serge Schoemaker principal architect
Maiara Camilotti architect
Ottavia Profumo architect
Lara Fehimovic architect
Jurgi Cinta assistant designer
Sem Dijk assistant designer
Konstantina Gavriilidou assistant designer
Anna Giulia Menke assistant designer

Former team members

Architects:
Alexander Beeloo, Farimah Chaman Zadeh, Andrew Choptiany, Henrik Holte, Max Hart Nibbrig, Carmen van den Hoogen, Dik Houben, Sanne Knoll, Tessa Spoelstra and Roxana Vakil Mozafari.

Assistant designers:
Vivian Chen, Yunqiao Du, Bianca Grilli, Laurenz Hoche, Francesca Muggli, Valentine Jaques, Arun Jansen, Hoda Khanbani, Niklas Kühlenborg, Lisanne Leermakers, Pedro Magalhaes, Beatrice Nespega, Axelle Pavero, Ilaria Saggese, Giulia Tönz, Pola Totinchy, Kevin Veenhuizen and Ruben Voogt.

Awards

2021 BNA Best Building of the Year

Honourable Mention

Jury: “A design that excels in modesty, creating a wonderful venue where people can roam around, work in the garden and unwind. This project is clearly significant to the local population. How fine it is that the municipality of Haarlemmermeer recognized that importance, and what courage the initiators have shown by persevering for a decade to realize their dream.”

2021 NRP Gulden Fenix

Winner in the category "Transformation"

Jury: “Fascinating slow architecture at its best. This is how the jury characterizes the transformation of the Fort of Hoofddorp. The jury members showed great appreciation for this private initiative which revived this ‘hidden treasure’. They were impressed by the integrity and professionalism with which the fort was handled. The precise way in which the work has been done commands respect.”

 

2021 Pieter van Vollenhoven Prize

Winner

Jury: “The perseverance shown by Femme Hammer and Serge Schoemaker during the transformation of Fort Hoofddorp is truly admirable. With this award, Prof. Mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven wishes to express his deep appreciation for these two initiators. Thanks to these people and to the many people involved who have a passion for heritage, the monuments of our Kingdom can be preserved.”

 

ARC20 Architecture Award

Nomination

Jury: “Serge Schoemaker Architects has transformed Fort Hoofddorp into a unique meeting place that accommodates hospitality, cultural, and educational activities. This adaptive reuse added a new layer of time to a striking and exceptional fort structure. The design established a new connection between past and present.”

2020 Architectenweb Awards

Nomination for "Interior of the Year"

Jury: “A challenging task, the jury notes, as it is not always easy to bring together the old and the new. The architect has succeeded in preserving the legibility of different layers of time. The process from sketch design to completion took ten years and unfolded smoothly; the jury has great respect for the perseverance shown by the architect.”

2018 Architectenweb Award

Nomination for "Interior of the Year"

Jury: “The introduction of floor-high storage walls in loft-like spaces is not new, but the jury views the spaciousness that this solution produces as truly remarkable. A seemingly simple intervention smartly organizes the floor plan. Moreover, the alternating open and closed areas of wall lend the interior exactly the right sense of dynamism.”

Publications

Leibal

29-05-2024

"Amsterdam House Extension"

Bauwelt

Issue 25, 2023

Wisseling van de wacht

November, 2022

Domus

Issue 1070, 2022

Nook

Issue 2, 2022

Cultuurfonds Magazine

July, 2021

Architecture in the Netherlands 2020-2021

May, 2021

Bouwwereld

November, 2020

Haarlems Dagblad

09-02-18

De Architect

Vol. 44, Issue 9, 2013

Het Parool

29-03-13

De Pers

25-02-2008