Concrete Architectural Associates

Profile of Concrete Architectural Associates, headquartered in Netherlands. Thirty six projects submitted by Concrete Architectural Associates have been published on Architecture News Plus (ANP).

: Concrete team – © Ewout Huibers (www.ewout.tv)

Principal

Rob Wagemans

Brief description

There are no problems, only solutions.

Concrete founded in 1997 builds identities, is a multi-disciplinary creative office. From urban planning till interior design, from architecture to product design.

According to Concrete, translating functionality and ease of use always depends on the given situation. Function has no definitive style. A museum needs a different design solution than a coffee bar does, or a school or casino. And in outward appearance, they are nothing like each other.

Good design always starts with good analysis. A truly functional design must always be accompanied by an appropriate and stimulating concept. We live in a rapidly changing world with new lifestyles that demand radically different solutions than those that were offered one or two generations ago.

More often than not, these solutions represent a complete break with existing, traditional types of designs for buildings and interiors. Concrete believes that the direction of this innovatory movement is clearly moving towards pure analysis and a highly consistent design concept. That is why Concrete's designs are both obvious and yet, simultaneously, unexpected. The basis for this successful approach - according to Concrete - is the lack of distinction between the expressiveness of the different design disciplines.

Concrete hosts different disciplines such as product and interior designers, architects, visual marketeers and now an urban planning/ architectural firm too. Concrete's deliberate choice of breaking away from traditional hierarchies and the dominant forces which dictate the design process today, gives our agency unprecedented freedom.

Concrete derives the inspiration, influence and conceptual impetus for its designs from today's modern world. Concrete's designers want to be inspired not just by modern art but by comics too, by ideas from the world of architecture and multimedia, by haute cuisine and the snack bar.

They appear contradictory, but, in this collision, the perfect expression of our post-modern age can be found.

That is precisely why Concrete's designs are so stimulating. Concrete's work is smoothly seductive with a rough edge, wild but with restraint, still in its fierceness, bombastic with style, in your face but poetic, alluring with reserve, hard to get but available, dramatic with a knowing wink, tragicomic and contritely sensual.

In short, Concrete's work is realistic and yet absurd. Concrete is contemporary and forward-looking.

Concrete is honest and sticks to its word. Concrete seeks out the clients' real passion and ambition, and works closely with them to discover their real motives and their true corporate philosophy.

Concrete's designers are able to transform this ambition and philosophy into constructed environments, and they are not satisfied until the plan results in the best possible business outcome for their clients.

Published projects

: Mercat by Concrete Architectural Associates Mercat is a place where guests are welcome to eat drink and enjoy the whole day long. Besides the diverse cuisines, the location of the venue is one of the...

: citizenM Hotel Bankside London by Concrete Architectural Associates citizenM is a new Dutch hotel group that opened their first hotel at Schiphol Airport in 2008. Their second hotel in Amsterdam City opened in 2009, followed in...

: Vi Cool Hong Kong by Concrete Architectural Associates The renowned chef Sergi Arola created the Vi Cool brand in addition to his Michelin star restaurants and his more contemporary restaurant Vi Roses as an...

: House of Pertijs by Concrete Architectural Associates 'House of Pertijs' has its roots in a traditional family-owned watch and jewellery store in the Dutch city of Breda, where clients were treated more like...

: The Doner Company by Concrete Architectural Associates A total new identity for interior and graphic appearance was what our client wished for. An innovative concept to attract new costumers, who find an enjoyable...

: REM Island by Concrete Architectural Associates Initiative: In 2007 Concrete was asked by hospitality entrepreneur Nick van Loon to come up with an idea for the REM-island located in the river IJ in...

: Coffee Company Gelderlandplein by Concrete Architectural Associates Coffee Company has asked Concrete to design a pavilion on the central square of the groot Gelderland Plein shopping centre. The square has a pyramid shaped...

: societyM Glasgow by Concrete Architectural Associates SocietyM is an initiative from citizenM hotels. It was created for a new type of worker: those who aren't bound by offices or office conventions, wanderers...

: Castell D’emporda by Concrete Architectural Associates Castell d’emproda was build in 1301 on a hill nearby the small city of La Bisbal close to Girona (Spain). The castle has been owned for centuries by the...

: Canalhouse Hotel by Concrete Architectural Associates The concept of the canalhouse has been to build a luxury boutique hotel which offers all the service you expect from a five star plus hotel combined with the...

: Van Beuningenplein by Concrete Architectural Associates Van Beuningen square is located at the van Hallstraat, West district of Amsterdam. Building an underground two-layer parking facility gives cause for the...

: W Hotel London, Leicester Square by Concrete Architectural Associates There is more to London than the obvious tourist attractions. Ultimately you’ll get the chance to see the city from within. We’d like to show you the real...

: Gallerie Willem Baars Projects by Concrete Architectural Associates Willem Baars, art historian with a reputation in the art world as a trader, consultant, appraiser, publicist and guest curator, started in 2007 with creating...

: Karls Kitchen by Concrete Architectural Associates Karls kitchen is the new restaurant of luxury department store Breuninger in Stuttgart. The kitchen is the free-flow restaurant’s central element. The...

: Mazzo Restaurant & Bar by Concrete Architectural Associates Mazzo, the eight member of the IQ creative family in Amsterdam, is the Italian sister of Brasserie Witteveen – both in hospitality concept and in the...

: Sentosa House by Concrete Architectural Associates The house in Sentosa Singapore was designed by L P Kwee who trained as an architect at Cornell University. He engaged the design firm Concrete to collaborate...

: Amaison by Concrete Architectural Associates Maison van den Boer is Holland’s most famous caterer for parties in a higher segment. Maison van den Boer tries to reach the private consumer by developing a...

: Bergman Beauty Clinics MediSpa by Concrete Architectural Associates Bergman Beauty Clinics, previously known as the Bergman Clinics, located in Bilthoven, The Netherlands is leading in aesthetic plastic surgery. The clinic is...

: De Bijenkorf Kitchen by Concrete Architectural Associates The starting point of developing a new Bijenkorf restaurant is that the restaurant has to be part of ‘de Bijenkorf’ and its philosophy. The restaurant as...

: The Clinic at Clarke Quay by Concrete Architectural Associates Sick people + the clinic = healthy people Healthy people + the clinic = ??? What does a Clinic do when you already feel good…? It makes you feel even...

: Envy by Concrete Architectural Associates Envy... was envisioned and developed during the many trips that owner Bert van der Leden made to Rome in connection with the supperclub there. Italy has...

: De Lairesse Apotheek by Concrete Architectural Associates Material Information Floor: flooring in round space, printed leaves (Ginko Biloba) on outdoor paper, covered with transparent resin. (epoxy floor). Other...

: Loetje, Laren NH by Concrete Architectural Associates The overall design concept is to place an urban interior in a more traditional and rural surrounding. Starting point was to create a “grand café” with a...

: Mendo by Concrete Architectural Associates Mendo is all about creative books. This is why books have been the starting point of our design. The result is a bookshop built by books. As a brick is the...

: Minibar by Concrete Architectural Associates The founding concept for the Minibar was created by three Dutch friends, who were looking for a different way of having a drink in a relaxed environment. No...

: Nomads by Concrete Architectural Associates Nomads is a stand alone restaurant. When you enter the restaurant trough the big steel door you find yourself in a lobby-functioned space with a bar. The bar...

: Hotel Überfluss by Concrete Architectural Associates Concrete was asked to design the interior for hotel Überfluss in March 2005. The building at that time was nearing structural completion. The architects...

: VIP-Center Schiphol Airport by Concrete Architectural Associates Because of growing globalisation and generic development of airports, Schiphol International Airport more and more is manifesting itself as a Dutch Airport. At...

: Vyne by Concrete Architectural Associates Vyne consists of two parts. On the right-hand side, the ‘brown café’, with an oak floor, walls and ceiling and a long brown leather couch against the...

: De Nieuwe Bibliotheek Almere by Concrete Architectural Associates The introduction of a retail-concept in a public library. Overview and direct routes serve the run shopper. In a meandering landscape of books the fun shopper...

: CitizenM Hotel by Concrete Architectural Associates CitizenM is a new Dutch hotel group that opens their first hotel at Schiphol Airport in the second quarter of 2008. The concept of the hotel is to cut out all...

: Kremer collection exhibition by Concrete Architectural Associates For the first time since the Kremers started their collection, the 49 works will be presented in an exhibition in Cologne. In fact, for the first time the...

: Brasserie Witteveen by Concrete Architectural Associates In the seventies and eighties young and old would meet at the iconic restaurant 'Witteveen' at the Ceintuurbaan in Amsterdam. In 2009 IQ creative took up the...

: Supperclub Singapore by Concrete Architectural Associates Singapore is enriched with a supperclub in the Odeon Towers opposite the legendary Raffles hotel. On the entrance floor diagonal rust proof steel plates are...

: Pearls & Caviar Restaurant by Concrete Architectural Associates ‘pearls & caviar’ is a restaurant on the site of the Shangri-La hotel in Abu Dhabi. The assignment was to make a fish restaurant as ‘a total art work’...

: Nevy Restaurant by Concrete Architectural Associates Concrete was asked to redesign the formerly known restaurant Onassis. The restaurant is a new member in the succession of two existing restaurants; delicacy...