For over a decade, government officials, project developers and community leaders have turned to Space&Matter for innovative solutions to complex urban challenges

Purpose

At Space&Matter, we believe that the most significant changes come from people and communities in particular. That’s why people are at the heart of everything we do. We co-create strategies, buildings and neighbourhoods with end-users to build strong and fair cities. Neighbourhoods are our preferred units of change because they’re the place where sustainability meets human experience. As waterfront experts, we’re especially excited about exploring buoyant solutions that provide resilience in the face of climate change. And as part of the Space&Matter ecosystem, we are contributing to the joint mission of realising 1.000.000 square metres within the Doughnut and rewilding an equal amount of nature by 2030.

People are at the heart of everything we do. We co-create strategies, buildings and neighbourhoods with end-users to build strong and fair cities

Team

Sascha Glasl

Co-founder

Sascha Glasl

Co-founder

Email

Sascha studied architecture at RWTH Aachen, graduated cum laude in 2007 and co-founded Space&Matter in Amsterdam in 2009 at the height of the economic crisis, creating projects when opportunities were scarce. Equally passionate about strategic design, innovative concepts and democratic development processes, Sascha focuses on implementing the principles of the Doughnut economy in the built environment. He initiated De Ceuvel and SWEETS Hotel, and played a leading role in shaping the plan for Schoonschip. He is currently exploring how Community Land Trusts in particular can accelerate this transition and focused on creating a comprehensive ecosystem that can increase the scale and impact of these past projects and achieve circular area development.

Tjeerd Haccou

Co-founder

Tjeerd Haccou

Co-founder

Email

Tjeerd Haccou studied architecture at Delft University of Technology and at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, and cofounded Space&Matter in 2009. He has an experimental ethos, using online and offline tools to bring together and empower communities so that they can assume leadership over the design of their own living environments. In this context, he pursues new financial and business models, as well as ventures that prioritise social good and inclusivity in the built environment. Tjeerd is interested in applying this participatory process at all scales of the urban domain, from individual household design to the plans for entire neighbourhoods.

Marthijn Pool

Co-founder

Marthijn Pool

Co-founder

Email

Marthijn is Dutch architect and co-founder of Space&Matter. Driven by the desire to have a positive social and environmental impact, Marthijn pairs a theoretical and conceptual mindset with a hands-on approach to reimagine the role of the built environment beyond the spatial domain. He is especially excited about research-based projects that explore new urban concepts and wants above all else to create and share new knowledge.

Floor van der Oord

Business Director

Floor van der Oord

Business Director

Email

Floor combines a passion for creativity with a business mindset. With over 15 years of experience in managing design teams, she is driven to create the ideal circumstances at Space&Matter to execute projects with a positive impact on people and planet. Consistently striving to find solutions that deliver the best outcome for clients, partners, and the team.

Lidia Egorova

Associate

Lidia Egorova

Associate

Email

Lidia received her post-master's degree in architecture from The Berlage (TU Delft) and ran her own practice, focusing on transforming office buildings into hospitality spaces and planning innovation campuses. She joined Space&Matter, leading circular projects such as the Strandeiland neighbourhood in Amsterdam, LeeuwenDeel in Delft, and Common Woods in Amersfoort. Lidia is passionate about creating buildings and neighbourhoods that promote social interaction, incorporate nature, and have a positive environmental impact.

Bart Nicolaas

Associate

Bart Nicolaas

Associate

Email

Bart received his architecture degree at the Delft University of Technology with an honourable mention. He gained over a decade of experience, working as project leader at OMA on various projects including Rijnstraat 8, Performing Arts School in Stockholm and BMW HQ Masterplan in Munich. Bart is attracted to designing in complex urban settings and is responsible for accelerating the pioneering circular projects of Space&Matter.

Gabriela Chuecos

Architect

Gabriela Chuecos

Architect

Email

Gabriela studied architecture in Venezuela, Madrid and Delft before moving to Poland to start her career as an architect. Her graduation project explored the reuse of ruins from the Bosnian war and was presented at an exhibition for the European capital of culture in Matera, Italy. This context-sensitive approach continues to define Gabriela’s work at Space&Matter. She works on projects of various scales and helps to ensure that the environmental, social and cultural program responds to the distinct needs of the area.

Roza Pelgrom

Office Manager

Roza Pelgrom

Office Manager

Email

Bas van Bentum

Graphic Designer

Bas van Bentum

Graphic Designer

Email

Bas has a degree in graphic design from the ArtEZ University of Arts and vast experience as a graphic designer, having developed brands for forward-thinking companies at Vandejong Creative Agency for several years. Upon realising that he was most interested in and passionate about meaningful design within the spatial domain, Bas decided to come work at Space&Matter. Interested in the overlap between architecture and graphic design, Bas creates visual designs for every outlet, develops concepts and helps maintain Space&Matter’s identity.

Inara Nevskaya

Architect

Inara Nevskaya

Architect

Email

Inara studied architecture at the Moscow Architectural Institute and at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo. She gained more international experience through her involvement with EASA - a young architects network that organises multi-disciplinary workshops throughout Europe and Central Asia. She is interested in architecture as an instrument in the creation of stories and atmospheres and sees the profession as an ongoing learning process. At Space&Matter, Inara assumes a broad role, working on projects from the concept phase to the point of execution.

Michał Marcinkowski

Architect

Michał Marcinkowski

Architect

Email

Michał studied architecture and landscape architecture at Cracow University of Technology and has gained diverse work experience at design studios in Rotterdam, London and Beijing. At Space&Matter, he is propelled by the desire to learn about and apply new technologies, techniques and approaches in architecture. Michał excels in a dynamic environment that stimulates critical thinking, teamwork and consideration of the socio-ecological impact of design.

Marta Lachowska

Architect

Marta Lachowska

Architect

Email

Marta is a Polish architect who is primarily concerned with wellbeing and social good. She has abundant experience designing educational and healthcare facilities, residential projects and with the transformation of heritage buildings. Marta joined Space&Matter in 2019 and works on medium-scale housing projects as well as large-scale urban transformations. Recently, she has led two research and design studies on the future transformation of northern city districts for the City of Amsterdam.

Alex Beunza

Architect

Alex Beunza

Architect

Email

Alex studied Architecture in Pamplona and gained experience in renowned practices in New York, Panama, Bilbao and Amsterdam. He easily moves in between different roles and phases, making him a versatile team member of Space&Matter. Alex is a strong visual communicator and likes to operate in the worlds of conceptual architecture, construction processes and plastic arts.

Mariia Mikheeva

Architect

Mariia Mikheeva

Architect

Email

Mariia pursued her education at Moscow Architectural University and Milan Politecnico. She has a profound interest in comprehending the intricacies of the construction process to promote sustainability in the built environment. With a professional background in both large and small-scale architecture and interior design projects across Russia and the Netherlands, her shared passion for designs that prioritise human connection, sustainability, and co-creation led her to Space&Matter. Within the office, she dedicates her efforts to ensuring that the social and cultural aspects of projects align with human needs.

Boris Gelauff

Technical Designer

Boris Gelauff

Technical Designer

Email

Boris built up a strong technical foundation during his vocational education. Currently pursuing a Master's in Architecture, he brings a pragmatic approach to his work at Space&Matter. With a preference for biobased and adaptive design, Boris provides the team with his keen technical knowledge and extensive experience in Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Tom Kolnaar

Communications Manager

Tom Kolnaar

Communications Manager

Email

Tom studied architecture at Delft University of Technology, before keeping his finger on the pulse of the architectural media landscape as editor-in-chief of architecture website Archello. Tom is fascinated by uncovering the underlying social, economic, political and environmental processes behind urbanisation and tell stories about how Space&Matter reenvisions them to create circular neighbourhoods. Tom loves to introduce people to the work and purpose of Space&Matter and strategically linking the office’s ambition to its communications.

Stein Blokker

Technical Designer

Stein Blokker

Technical Designer

Email

Stein is studying Technical Architecture at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and looking forward to completing his studies in the coming years. He is passionate about building in wood and developed this into an expertise in designing and detailing timber architecture. Stein joined Space&Matter because of his shared interest in the social and circular aspects of architecture and supports the team with his knowledge in the technical facets of the design process in combination with BIM.

Falk Kremzow

Architect

Falk Kremzow

Architect

Email

Falk is an urbanist and architect driven by a socially critical mindset. He studied architecture at the University of Vienna and University of Wuppertal, before gaining experience in Rotterdam and Vienna. Falk likes to operate at the intersection of architecture and applied urbanism and joined Space&Matter to apply his conceptual methodology to craft people-centred designs for circular communities.

Daniël Bakker

Architect

Daniël Bakker

Architect

Email

Daniël is our first client turned team member, as one of the initiators of building collective wij_land. With extensive experience across various architectural firms, he has worked on projects of all scales and functions while graduating from the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam. His technical background and on-site expertise have fueled his passion for architectural detail. Daniël's pragmatic approach and focus on functionality ensure a perfect balance between aesthetics, technique, and budget.

Michalina Gradzik

Intern

Michalina Gradzik

Intern

Email

Michalina earned her bachelor's degree in architecture from Warsaw University of Technology and is currently completing her master's degree in industrial design at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. She values interdisciplinary work and participatory design methods, with a keen interest in co-creation and co-habitation. At Space&Matter, she aims to deepen her understanding of frameworks for community-driven projects. Michalina's work emphasises the importance of both environmental and social sustainability, and she is dedicated to creating spaces that are physically and psychologically accessible.

Anika Gercke

Intern

Anika Gercke

Intern

Email

Anika completed her bachelor's studies in architecture at Technische Universität Berlin and Politecnico di Milano. She gained professional experience in Germany, France, Ireland, and the US. With a background in real estate, diverse construction projects, and the street furniture design studio Vestre, Anika joined Space&Matter driven by her passion for social, ecological, and inclusive architecture, based on circular principles.

Experience has taught us that the best and most sustainable innovations occur when we involve people from different disciplines who share our value

Jobs

We offer an informal interdisciplinary work environment and the opportunity to work on exciting, transformative and meaningful projects. View our open vacancies here.

“This project is a fantastic initiative and collaboration between the city, the designer and the developer. The use of these existing, derelict buildings that were never meant to be habitable truly shows the power of design”

– Jury Dezeen Awards about SWEETS hotel

Awards

Year
Project
Award
Organisation
2009
Water voor Wonen
DROOM.NH
Provincie Noord-Holland
2014
De Ceuvel
Dutch Design Award - Habitat
Dutch Design Awards
2014
De Ceuvel
Frame Public Award
FRAME
2018
SWEETS Hotel
Best Hotel Concept
HBMEO
2018
SWEETS Hotel
Best Hotel Concept
Entree Awards
2019
SWEETS Hotel
Geurt Brinkgreve Bokaal (Finalist)
City of Amsterdam
2019
SWEETS Hotel
NRP Gulden Feniks (Finalist)
NRP Gulden Feniks
2019
SWEETS Hotel
Hotel and Short-Stay Interior
Dezeen Awards
2020
SWEETS Hotel
Herengracht Industrieprijs (Finalist)
Herengracht Industrie Prijs
2020
Schoonschip
Gouden Piramide (Honoree)
Gouden Piramide
2020
Schoonschip
Zuiderkerkprijs (Finalist)
City of Amsterdam
2020
SWEETS Hotel
Innovation by Design Awards (Finalist)
Fast Company
2020
SWEETS Hotel
Hotel of the Year
Frame Awards
2021
Schoonschip
Amsterdam New Construction Prize (Finalist)
Amsterdam Woont
2022
wij_land
Zuiderkerkprijs (Shortlist)
City of Amsterdam