GROUP A

On Friday, November 17, we will play the serious game Climate Positive M4H at the Stadsmakerscongres! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Some urban challenges have become so complex that they transcend the scope of the design world’s influence. In the session "Time for a New Order," we will sit down with the broadest possible field of experts: from traditional city makers to bankers, lawyers, economists and scientists!

Participants of the game will collectively aim to score as many points as possible for living quality - based on the 8 principles from the Spatial Framework M4H -, to emit as little CO2 as possible and to store CO2 where possible.

Cooperation between chain partners as the key to success!

This game is a prototype developed by GROUP A – CARBONLAB and Ludopolis in collaboration with the Keilecollectief.

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In the serious game Climate Positive M4H, participants gain insights about the means to facilitate climate-positive environments. The game makes tangible how emission, compensation and storage resources (such as nature, building, mobility) relate to each other and what has much, and what has little effect. Great to see how this game triggers discussion about climate-positive environments! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​This game is a prototype developed by GROUP A – CARBONLAB and Ludopolis in collaboration with the Keilecollectief.

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As a partner of the Dutch Green Building Council, we hosted the opening of the Dutch Green Building Week 2023 at the Keilepand. The national campaign week for sustainable building and development. Within the theme 'Every link counts', we zoomed in on the urban development of M4H.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​For this occasion we organized the pilot of the serious game ‘Climate Positive M4H’. With over 50 participants from all disciplines involved in the built environment (including the Municipality of Rotterdam, Port of Rotterdam, designers, developers, stakeholders and institutes) we discussed the (im)possibilities of making M4H a CO2 negative = climate positive urban district.

This game is a prototype developed by GROUP A – CARBONLAB and Ludopolis in collaboration with the .

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Carbon Stories ‘Architects, let’s calculate and act on CO2 reduction!’. During this special edition architecture offices MVRDV, Urban Climate Architects, GROUP A and la-di-da shared their journey towards decarbonizing their projects and debated how this will change their role as an architect.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Thanks for joining us in great numbers!

Carbon Stories is an initiative of GROUP A-CARBONLAB, IABR and Keilecollectief.

Photos by Jacqueline Fuijkschot

Employee wellbeing and minimal nitrogen oxides emissions in DKG headquarters in Bergen op Zoom. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Detached meeting rooms divide the column-free office floors into clusters of workstations. Here the departments are acoustically grouped to prevent noise pollution among employees. The building is ventilated with 100% fresh air. The design ensures employee wellbeing with a healthy indoor climate and comfortable work environment while maintaining an open character.

Because of the nearby Natura 2000 area, both site work and demolition and construction activities were mainly carried out with electrically powered construction equipment. In close consultation with the contractor, nitrogen oxides emissions were limited to 16.55 kg NOx/year. The DKG headquarters was completed in the first quarter of 2023.

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Client: DKG
Architect:
Contractor: Bouwbedrijf Vrolijk, Moerdijk
Advisor: Barth Installatietechniek
Building physics:
Structural engineer:
Project supervision: BLPD

Connecting atriums in the transparent headquarters' design in Bergen op Zoom for DKG, the group behind the Dutch brands Bruynzeel Keukens and Keller Keukens.​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​Daylight, cascading through the atrium roofs, welcomes employees and visitors to the reception atrium. Here is the entrance to the restaurant where factory and office employees eat lunch together. In contrast to the formal reception atrium, the atrium on the east side has an informal character with a coffee bar and various seating areas. The office floors are accessible from the two atriums, each with a wide staircase. Meeting areas have been created around them. These spaces contribute to spontaneous encounters between employees and invite them to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Smart reuse in our transparent headquarters' design in Bergen op Zoom for DKG, the group behind the Dutch brands Bruynzeel Keukens and Keller Keukens. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A strategically located shed on the company's own factory site was chosen as the site for the new building. The shed was demolished and the foundation and ground floor slab reused as the basis for the two-story new building. Compared to complete new construction, this reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 35%. The contours of the former shed define the 3,800m2 office. To bring daylight into the 80 meters long and 27 meters wide office, two centrally located atriums form the basis of the design.

The wooden louvers that protect the office floors from direct sunlight on the south facade merge into a canopy on the west facade. Thanks to the open nature of the canopy, trees and plants on the terrace of the restaurant on the ground floor create a pleasant outdoor space that establishes a relationship with the green surroundings and the factory.

Forum is a stretched square, situated about 7,80 meters above the ground. It connects the entire Jaarbeurs side of Utrecht Central Station, from the Van Sijpesteijnkade to the Moreelsebrug.​​​​​​​​
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By separating the pedestrian, bicycle, bus and parking vertically instead of horizontally, transfer times have been greatly reduced. Once arrived by bike, bus or car, the visitor is guided through an attractive pedestrian area to the station, offices, residential buildings and many amenities. And vice versa. ​​​​​​​​
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Forum has been shortlisted for the Plan Award by in the category urban planning! Cast your vote via link in bio. ​​​​​​​​
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Client: and NS Stations ​​​​​​​​
Contractor: ​​​​​​​​
Engineer: ​​​​​​​​
Landscape architect: ​​​​​​​​
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Photo by Ossip van Duivenbode​​​​​​​​
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MARCH 29 BALTIMORE+ROTTERDAM: HCM + GROUP A

Online conversation about designing (in) cities, with Taejun Kim from Hord Coplan Macht (Baltimore) and Maarten van Bremen from GROUP A (Rotterdam) on Tuesday March 29, 2022 at 18.00 CET (Netherlands).

Moderated by Chris van Langen, Program Manager for Spatial Design Action, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (Creative Industries Fund NL)

More info & to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baltimore-rotterdam-hcm-group-a-registration-268326841807

AIA credits: 1 LU

Coordinated by Cri Murphy — Assistant Professor at Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P), Adjunct Professor at Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.
Co-host: Baltimore Rotterdam Sister City Committee
Event Partners: AIA Baltimore, Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst (RAvB)

Baltimore + Rotterdam | HCM + GROUP A Online conversation about designing (in) cities, with Taejun Kim + Maarten van Bremen on March 29 at 12pm EDT (US), 6pm CET (Netherlands).

GROUP A 25 years!

Our adventure started 25 years ago today. Many inspiring colleagues, vibrant GROUP A parties and more than 50 completed projects later, it feels like yesterday. With enthusiasm and optimism, we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

And we celebrate this milestone when we are able to again.

'Meet...' Sebastian Bok of GROUP A. In which he explains his ambition to design timeless architecture and which architect he would like to have a good conversation with.

Read the entire interview on our site: https://groupa.nl/meet-24-sebastian-bok/

JOIN OUR TEAM

Ben jij een ervaren en ambitieuze projectleider met diepgaande interesse in het bouwproces? En wil je werken in een internationaal team in het Keilepand in M4H?
Dan is GROUP A op zoek naar jou.

Kijk voor meer informatie op onze website: https://groupa.nl/nl/de-groep/vacatures/

What good news!
GROUP A is going underground again. After the successful renovation of the metro Oostlijn in Amsterdam, GROUP A, together with and , has been selected for Studies Premetro Antwerp, commissioned by the Flemish Transport Company - De Lijn.



https://www.dearchitect.nl/stedenbouw/nieuws/2021/01/group-a-archipelago-en-tractebel-geselecteerd-voor-studies-premetro-antwerpen-101259847

GROUP A , archipelago en Tractebel geselecteerd voor studies Premetro Antwerpen - De Architect Het multidisciplinaire team, bestaande uit GROUP A, archipelago en Tractebel, is door de Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij, De Lijn, geselecteerd voor de st...

2021 has just begun and working from home is still the norm. But we are not standing still. Behind the scenes, we are working hard on beautiful new and current projects. However, we are not only looking forward, we are also looking back.

2020 was a special year in many ways. We were introduced to Corona and because of working from home we saw our clients, cooperation partners and colleagues, unfortunately, a lot less physically. But there were also many highlights that we are happy to share with you.

At the start of a challenging year packed with exciting projects, we would like to thank each and every one of you for your confidence and for staying in touch with us.



https://youtu.be/1Dvy5N8wcL8

GROUP 2021 GROUP A blikt terug naar 2020 en kijkt vooruit naar 2021.