2_2_DiscoverBenelux_11_November_2014_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 06/11/2014 23:08 Page 63
Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Dutch Architecture & Interiors
Hofman Dujardin Architects specialise in people – they use people’s intuitive needs to create inspirational and functional buildings and interiors.
Graves had incorporated elements of Dutch art and architecture in the building. Yet, this had never been noticed before or even mentioned by the architect himself. Surprised by their discovery, they decided to expand on this and magnify the use of famous Dutch paintings as floor patterns in the offices. “The result is unexpected colour patterns throughout the entire building. That’s when it is not about aesthetics anymore,” Hofman says, “the context itself creates fabulous and inspiring surroundings.” Another principle Hofman emphasizes is sincerity. Sincerity with the client, sincerity with the delivery of the project, sincerity with the use of material, sincerity at each level of the project. Sincerity goes hand in hand with quality. “We want to deliver quality in the design process, quality in the design itself and quality of the finished building. What you see in the renderings is what you get,” he says. A clear example of this is their BarentsKrans project, an ambitious project that gave the law firm’s headquarters in The Hague a fresh look. “They were amazed at how similar the reality looked compared to the visualisations – and if you look closely at the stairs, a great amount of attention has been paid to the details, it’s all there,” says Hofman.
No project is too ambitious for the team of architects at Hofman Dujardin because “if you know people, you know everything.” He explains: “This is because we don’t specialise in houses, offices or interiors, we specialise in people. This is why we don’t start by bringing our knowledge in, we ask people what they want. It’s as simple as that.” And that seems to work very well when looking at some of the villas built in Amsterdam Zuid, Bloemendaal and Zeist: they are dynamic, spacious and inspiring.
with the client. You see, architecture is a bit like a martial art: you use the other person’s strength to make a good throw. It’s the same here: we use the strength of our client to make it better. It is also what gives a soul to what we create.” www.hofmandujardin.com
Sustainability also gets into the picture. Hofman continues: “If you work on the intuition of people and you keep things simple, then those things will stay. That’s why if you go to a house we built five years ago you can still take pictures and publish them because the quality is still there, as fresh as day one.” When asked about the many prizes that Hofman Dujardin won, Hofman says, “It’s remarkable, we received the design awards for the Bloomframe Balcony, a window frame which can be transformed into a balcony. This project is not about design but it is about an idea that is brought to life.” He goes on to add: “For us it is extremely important to create value for people by designing their spaces for living, working and relaxing. We establish a strong relationship
Issue 11 | November 2014 | 63