Studio — GAAGA

Design principles

In our studio we have an open-minded attitude and we like to experiment. This is reflected in the buildings we design, each being different. Although every design is specific, the underlying basic principles are generic. We have listed them below:

Open Building
We care about designing buildings that are capable of accommodating diversity in use as well as future changes. This provides home-owners and users leeway and it extends the lifespan of buildings. We work according to the ‘open building’ principles as much as possible. The concept of open building advocates a clear distinction between permanent and changeable parts in a building. It implies taking into account differences in lifespan of building components and separating elements with different life cycles. The trick is to ensure that elements with a shorter lifespan do not determine the overall life of the building. View projects ︎︎︎

Circular design
We consider material- and energy-conscious design as an integral part of our work. We think critically about how things are made and are focused on creating buildings that have as little environmental impact as possible. Preferably, we design circular buildings: recyclable and with used or renewable materials such as wood. When using primary, industrially manufactured materials, we increasingly emphasize weight reduction and smarter use of materials. View projects ︎︎︎

Human scale
We create our designs based on the notion that architecture can be of great influence on people’s well-being. That architecture can contribute to making you feel comfortable and to bonding with a place. We therefore think it is important to design buildings that are functional, recognizable, sensitive and that are based on the human scale.

Participatory design
To understand what future users or other stakeholders think is important for the design, we actively involve them in the design process. This may be in the form of one-to-one conversations or public presentations in which we explain certain design decisions step by step. It also may be in the form of workshops in which stakeholders have direct influence on choices to be made, based on variant studies. We then use the designing process as a method to reach certain decisions. Sometimes a spatial assignment is not clear in advance, in which case design studies can help to clarify the question and visualise the possibilities. View projects ︎︎︎

Details and use of materials
Seemingly insignificant things make huge differences in the appearance of a building. Materials and products determine the atmosphere and are also often decisive in the manner of construction and detailing. We therefore pay a lot of attention and care to materials and details, so that the small things match the bigger picture and a coherent and sophisticated overall impression can be achieved.

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