ARCHITECT@WORK Amsterdam 2025: An Inspiring Edition at De Kromhouthal

Engaging conversations around innovations at ARCHITECT@WORK Amsterdam

On Thursday 30 and Friday 31 October 2025, ARCHITECT@WORK took place in Amsterdam. With over 1,736 visitors, this first edition at the Kromhouthal was well attended. Among the speakers were Elif Tinaztepe (Schmidt Hammer Lassen) and Laura van Santen (la-di-da). Here’s an impression.

“If I’ve discovered a few products I didn’t know before… then an event like this is a success for me,” said an architect after her visit. “And since I came across so many new products here at ARCHITECT@WORK, I’d say mission accomplished!”

Every exhibitor at ARCHITECT@WORK presented a genuine innovation, pre-approved by a jury. “That’s what makes ARCHITECT@WORK truly worthwhile for architects,” said Armand Gademan of Geberit. His company showcased a new version of their toilet with TurboFlush technology, offering a powerful yet quiet flush.

“We’ve had great conversations with many architects and interior designers over the past two days,” said Paul Beeren of Leoxx, who presented Ntgrate’s woven vinyl flooring. These floors combine the acoustic benefits of soft flooring with the easy maintenance of vinyl—and can now be made with up to 97% recycled content. “Many designers weren’t yet familiar with this circular option and were pleasantly surprised.”

Petersen Tegl used ARCHITECT@WORK to present new color variations of their signature long-format bricks, including very light tones. “Thanks to the compact stands, architects immediately see what you’re presenting, which makes it easy to start a conversation,” said Lineke Lucassen of Petersen Tegl. “We’ve spoken to so many architects about our bricks—it’s been fantastic!”

Generous buildings that evolve over time
The lecture programme, curated by Architectenweb, gave the stage to forward-thinking architectural practices. Architect Laura van Santen (la-di-da) advocated for building with agricultural by-products. Maarten Terberg (EVA architecten) showed how post-war buildings can often be renovated and transformed rather than demolished. And landscape architect Hannah Schubert (Bureau B+B) argued that in greening our cities, we should also create areas that are less—or not at all—accessible to people, as these untouched spaces are vital for urban biodiversity.

Elif Tinaztepe (Schmidt Hammer Lassen) made a case for designing buildings that are “complete + open”: finished, yet flexible enough to accommodate changing functions. She illustrated this with Dokk1, a cultural hub in Aarhus that has welcomed and farewelled many organisations over the past decade. Its generous structure absorbed these changes with ease. Lessons from Dokk1 informed her design for the new Dordthuis in Dordrecht, where ground-floor spaces allow for varied use throughout the day and week.

“A building or interior will only be reused if people love it,” said architect Stijn de Weerd (Beyond Space). In addition to spatial generosity, it’s the quirky or distinctive details that make spaces beloved. His firm focuses on designing such specific buildings and interiors. At Holcim’s headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, Beyond Space created cave-like meeting rooms using the company’s latest concrete mixes. In Amsterdam, they designed a network of communal spaces beneath a residential building, inspired by Renaissance villas. And in Bern, together with studio Fritschibeis, they designed a residential complex with diverse housing types, wide galleries, generous shared areas, and characterful details like undulating columns and piers.

All products presented at the event and recordings of the lectures are available via the ARCHITECT@WORK online platform.

Returning to Rotterdam Ahoy in 2026
On 9 & 10 September 2026, ARCHITECT@WORK will alternate once again between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Following this edition in Amsterdam, the event will return to Rotterdam Ahoy in 2026.

Architectenweb is media partner of ARCHITECT@WORK The Netherlands