Discover Benelux | Top Architects in the Netherlands | Creating Quality of Life
Building character TEXT: CHARLOTTE VAN HEK | PHOTOS: BLÁHA ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN
Maintaining the old, in with the new. With trademark fusions of tradition and modernity alongside the use of contrasting materials and designs that blend in with their environment, Bláha architecture+design has developed an international portfolio with a distinctive signature in a short period of time. A home from the 1930s, boasting a modern interior alongside concrete floors; an old Italian farm transformed into a luxurious villa where the contrast between sleek plasterwork and old church tiles form a balanced whole; renovation of a house designed by Gerrit Rietveld himself, maintaining the original characteristics – these projects underline the core 14 | Issue 42 | June 2017
of Bláha architecture+design. By blending the old with the new, the studio integrates the character of a previous life with the innovations and demands of today. Based in The Hague, Bláha architecture +design was founded by Annemieke Bláha. Holding a bachelors degree and masters in architecture, urbanism and building sciences from Delft University of Technology, Bláha worked on various independent projects after her studies, including an internship at Jade Architecten, where her engineering degree translated to a great interest in the architecture of building transformation. In 2014, she founded her own studio.
Currently, Bláha architecture+design lends its hands to various clients in the Netherlands and Italy, where the studio works with effective groups of professionals. A quick glance at Bláha’s portfolio reveals a great deal of housing projects.
Blending in, standing out “Restoring and rightly preserving old structures enhances architecture in so many ways,” Annemieke Bláha begins. “By respecting the heritage of an old building and fusing it with new features, a design can truly enhance the character of the surrounding area.” The Sumatrastraat in The Hague is among Bláha’s recent projects that underline the