Winner of the LILA 2022 Office Award
Bureau B+B has been around for more than 40 years. In The Netherlands it is righteously considered a cradle of successful landscape architects. Despite the vast portfolio and the inseparable heritage of B+B, the editors of Landezine were convinced and impressed by the latest projects that were designed by a team of young designers.
We recognize the work of Bureau B+B, mainly for their ability of combining innovative engineering approaches with context based design. They master a diverse span of attitudes; from being subtle and quiet, to making radical changes, or being playful. B+B’s recent designs reflect all the needed skills for handling complex tasks; from a busy urban train station to residential landscapes fit for the future, to wetlands.
But it is the work that tackles heritage sites that really separates B+B from an already remarkable crowd of Dutch landscape architects. The precision that is found in Tempel and Nieuw Rhodenrijs Estates or the conceptual clarity of the LILA 2019 winning project Objets Trouvés reflects the ability to untangle time-related complexities, to curate and to offer new, meaningful experiences.
See all LILA recognitions or visit LILA websiteBureau B+B urbanism and landscape architecture links decades of experience to young talent. Our designs are clear and functional but also poetic. By inquisitive design, we find answers to current themes. We create meaningful places, inviting people to develop their own activities. Precision and craftsmanship are essential to our work. We care for the project from the initial sketch to final completion.
Stepping stone for talent
Since its founding in 1977, Bureau B+B has built up a rich experience. At the same time, we keep attracting young talent. Because the bureau renews itself continuously, it keeps finding fresh solutions to current themes. The bureau is organized as a collective, allowing all employees to develop their own style. The team is made up of people from various backgrounds, personalities and fascinations. Employees often develop into leading designers and eventually start their own businesses. Equal cooperation and interdisciplinary exchange are constant factors at the bureau.
Poetic clarity
The open, collective company culture causes our style to vary from project to project. Even so, our designs can be recognized by their poetic clarity. We aim for clear and explainable designs. The framework is powerful, the details are subtle and refined. The designs always contain a remarkable idea or an unconventional intervention that lifts the spatial experience above the functional. A clear, functional foundation creates an opportunity for emotion, tactility and the poetic component of a design.
Reading the place
Every design starts with research of the existing elements, traditions and culture of the location. We consider a design successful when it makes people feel at home and invites them to develop their own activities. During the design process, we often choose to make hand sketches and analogue models. These models and sketches immediately communicate an idea without getting lost in details. This allows for intuition and inventiveness. We read the location and add a chapter, so the story of the place can be told over and over.
Craftsmanship
No matter how spectacular the design is, mediocre construction ruins everything. We aim for the highest quality possible. For this, precision and craftsmanship are essential. This is reflected in the details but also in our knowledge of construction and materials. We often design unique pavement stones, furniture and fences tailor-made for the specific location and design. In order to achieve the best end result, we supervise the design from sketch to completion.
Published on February 2, 2023
