looking forward to 2026

At the start of the new year, Ronald Schleurholts and Paddy Sieuwerts look back and ahead. As partners at cepezed, they see the playing field for architects changing, but in their view this suits the practice well. cepezed stands for renewal and does not shy away from a challenge.

smart, new solutions
In 2025, cepezed worked on no fewer than 45 projects. Paddy and Ronald are proud of the team and the atmosphere. “Those 45 projects were all interesting in their own right and show how cepezed’s portfolio is changing,” says Paddy. “The assignments we work on are becoming increasingly complex. Teams are larger, the context is broader, and we collaborate more intensively with external parties. In that collaboration, it comes down to trusting one another’s expertise and communicating openly. Together we look for smart, new solutions and learn from that. Even when things occasionally run less smoothly, you need to seek each other out – it ultimately moves the design forward.”

enjoyment of designing
On complex projects, it can happen that boundary conditions change as the process unfolds. Ronald indicates that in such cases you should not be too rigid, because it is important to preserve the enjoyment of designing when plans are revised more than once. The importance cepezed attaches to enjoyment of designing is one of the reasons for a carefully considered balance of scale. Paddy: “Big projects are fantastic, but with smaller projects you see results sooner, you can experiment more easily, and you often have shorter lines with users, clients and contractors. It’s precisely that variation that keeps you fresh. We want to remain agile and creative.”

compliment
cepezed can rely on a well-developed method and an experienced team that can coach younger colleagues. Project teams are also assembled with a view to short, informal lines, for example to be able to quickly spar with someone. Ronald: “In recent years, the BEP committee has assessed several designers at cepezed. At the end of last year, we received a compliment from the committee for the thorough way we train people. We notice that clients appreciate young architects at cepezed being given more responsibility than elsewhere – especially when they see how skilfully and enthusiastically plans are presented.”

unexpected opportunities
Paddy: “We can't forget to mention cepezedinterieur, cepezedbouwteam and cepezedprojects. cepezedinterieur is involved in almost all our projects, usually from the very beginning. The strength of that interplay is the integral result; for us, interior is not an added layer. ‘Projects’ has an eye for unexpected opportunities that come along. Such as Circl, or the interim building for Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam. All four of us are working on the latter project. We are responsible for project development, architecture, the interior and construction supervision. That collaboration really adds value – we know each other inside out and, because of that, arrive at new things.”

innovation
Testing innovation in practice interests architecture students at TU Delft, Ronald observes; since this year he has been Professor of Heritage and Design there. Ronald: “They are fascinated that we manage to do this, that we are able to push boundaries. At TU Delft there is a strong sense of urgency to find new strategies for dealing with existing buildings, and from our own practice I contribute examples there too. That includes renovations using reclaimed materials, or relocating complete buildings. The world is getting more complex, but also more interesting, I think.”

circular projects
cepezed is pleased with the shift from new-build commissions towards renovation and reuse, which had already become apparent earlier and continues unabated. Ronald: “We demolish as little as possible, and sometimes not at all, even when it would be permitted. We design as flexibly as possible to facilitate efficient reuse of materials. We are working on major renovations, such as Tinbergen. But reuse can also apply to more recent buildings: in 2025, the temporary Amsterdam Court building – designed by cepezed for disassembly – was given a second life in Enschede as the ‘Techbank’.”

year of truth
Ronald and Paddy are looking forward to the next phase of several highly circular projects, including in Oss and Heerde. “The testing and groundwork for these projects is done; 2026 is the year of truth,” says Ronald. “A number of very complex designs will be under construction in 2026, such as the large education building for two schools in Rotterdam South and the Bravis Hospital in Roosendaal, which we are working on together with Vakwerk Architecten. Timber-building gems like Buren’s town hall will be completed. We are looking forward to the coming year!”