Bureau

Molenaar & Co architecs: time by design

At Molenaar & Co, we are fascinated by historical, contemporary and future values in architecture and spatial planning. Our work expresses this fascination as a respect for the past and an open approach to the cultural and technical developments of the day, whether in renovation, restoration or new-build projects. With exceptional affinities for material, technique, craft and ornament, our architecture combines originality with narrative associations. As champions of an architecture that is both appealing and distinctive, we are connoisseurs of craft, heritage and building techniques. In all our designs, the choice of form and technique reflects a deep analysis of the brief and the surroundings.

As the heirs to the work of Molenaar & van Winden architecten, we’re proud to build on thirty years of practical experience.

We discover. We delve into the site and our client’s precise requirements. In cases of restoration or redevelopment, we also delve into the building’s qualities, whether obvious or hidden. This discovery process leads not only to surprising functional solutions, but also to high-quality redevelopment and dynamic heritage.

We explore. With extensive knowledge of how modern heritage can combine practical solutions with innovation, we enjoy thinking along with you, daring to look beyond the borders of the known in search of the elements that will bind past, present and future.

We solve practical problems. We love Japanese puzzles of programme and space! With new building and renovation, with restoration and redevelopment, our work is playful and always has a story to tell.

All of this is visible in our varied portfolio, which features new developments such as the Marikenstraat shopping street in Nijmegen, or the restoration of 20th-century modernist architecture such as the spectacular Justus van Effen housing complex (1922) and Sonneveld House (1933); and redevelopment projects such as Hof van Maerlant or Zuiderziekenhuis hospital. We also design private homes such as the Van Stokkom-Van Veen house, the Jacobs-Kester house; non-residential buildings such as Het Turfship, or De Egelantier healthcare centre, and city-centre renewal plans in large towns, such as those in Oostpoort (Amsterdam) and Mariënburg (Nijmegen).

Molenaar & Co architects provides design and consultancy for cultural heritage, redevelopment projects and large urban sustainability projects. Two examples are the Zuiderziekenhuis hospital and the Lijnbaanhoven, both in Rotterdam. In September 2016, Molenaar & Co architects and HCV architects were jointly awarded the contract for renovating the historic Fierens housing block in Antwerp.

The offices of Molenaar & Co architects are housed at Achterhaven 130 in Rotterdam. The bureau is led and inspired by Joris Molenaar. The creative foundations of many projects are laid by project architect and bureau chief Willem Jan Paijmans, whose wide experience with contemporary technology allows us to create works of architectural, historical and cultural quality. We are also supported by a number of talented collaborators and consultants.

One factor underlying our knowledge and design experience is the energy and drive of Joris Molenaar, whose broad architectural experience includes participation in architectural advisory committees and consultancy on projects such as the Vreewijk improvement plan in Rotterdam. His research into subjects such as the work of architects Brinkman & Van der Vlugt has generated a range of publications on architectural theory and practice, and has also led to teaching, jury activities, and lectures in the Netherlands and abroad.

Various designs by Molenaar & Co architecten have received awards or award nominations. The restoration of the Justus van Effencomplex in Rotterdam received the Gulden Phoenix, the 2013 Rijksprijs voor Renovatie, and the Roterodamum Restauratieprijs. In 2013, Joris Molenaar’s book on Brinkman & Van der Vlugt was awarded the prize in the non-fiction category for the best book about Rotterdam.

Designs by Molenaar & Co architects are the product of expertise in research and design and of close consultation with clients, owners’ associations and developers, builders, and the national and municipal authorities responsible for physical planning, historic buildings and building regulations.

De ‘Co’ in Molenaar & Co architects applies to each and every project we undertake. As co-makers, we think along with you, the client, to create architecture that is truly designed to last.