2_1_DiscoverGermany_March2014_Issue12:Scan Magazine 1

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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Creative Germany 2014

Forum Mittelrhein and Kulturbau Koblenz

A Dutch-German success story Benthem Crouwel combines the best of both worlds For over 30 years Benthem Crouwel has been shaping the urban landscape across the Netherlands to an unprecedented extent. With the addition of a subsidiary in Germany in 2005, the Dutch giant conquered the hearts of its next-door neighbours. TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: BENTHEM CROUWEL ©JANNES LINDERS & JENS KIRCHNER Benthem Crouwel Partners from top to bottom & left to right: Marcel Blom, Marten Wassmann, Markus Sporer, Joost Vos, Mels Crouwel, Jan Benthem. Photo: Koos Breukel

Six partners and more than 50 industry experts complete the international team responsible for some of Europe’s most magnificent structures such as bridges, cultural centres, educational facilities, residential projects, museums, public buildings, transport related premises and work spaces. One of the company’s prime projects is Schiphol Airport Amsterdam. Benthem Crouwel started out on a small scale in the 1980s and literally grew with the airport. Today, Schiphol Airport is almost a city of its own,

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comprising terminals, lounges, cargo buildings, the control tower and the massive World Trade Centre – most of it created by Benthem Crouwel. “Good architecture begins with clear thinking, and better solutions come from digging deeper. Which is why we like clients who ask questions and have opinions of their own. We are not after sensation and extravagance, but instead we seek the core of the matter. This, in our experience, is how to achieve de-