The first major projects Jaap was involved in from the initial sketches through to completion were government office de Knoop and the adjacent circular pavilion The Green House in Utrecht. Two very different, robust buildings. The interplay between old and new and the focus on reuse that emerged from these projects have continued to inform his later work.
Renovation projects are therefore Jaap’s favourite to work on. Tinbergen for Erasmus University Rotterdam is a successful example: bringing out the qualities of an existing building while making the necessary changes to ensure it can serve its purpose for many years to come. A similar approach can be seen in Noon in Amsterdam.
He also enjoys working on complex government projects such as Drachten, PI Scheveningen and Squadron.
Jaap is particularly drawn to cepezed’s clear and considered approach. ‘We never do something just for the sake of it, but always think things through and have a good reason for what we do. It also makes conversations with clients much easier: we make complex challenges really clear and understandable.’
Jaap also enjoys contributing to the development of colleagues, among other things as a BEP mentor. ‘It’s great to share the joy of this profession with younger colleagues: sketching together, working things out together, and showing them what an incredibly rewarding profession this is.’
