Working together in an integral design culture

In an interview in the magazine INSTALLATION & BOUW (edition Oct. / Nov. 2019) Henk Gersen and Jeroen Nijmeijer emphasise how essential integral design is for IAA Architecten. This is because design and execution are becoming increasingly intertwined due to the increase in installation technology in buildings. Architects and installation designers are all engineers and 'engineer' at the same building, but often not at the same time. As an integrated firm, IAA Architecten considers building and installation as one whole. Their advice: invest in each other and in the process at the front; then the owner/user gets the best and most sustainable building for their investment.

WORKING TOGETHER IN A CLOSE-KNIT TEAM

At IAA Architecten, it's all about close cooperation in the design process between architects, consultancy firms, clients and preferably also executing parties. Being able to design together from large to small, and not in a fragmented way, missing many opportunities in the process. If the technical design is integrated with the building design in a timely manner, based on understanding and trust between all parties, beautiful innovations will emerge and this leads to better buildings.