Every minute, somewhere in Europe, a building is destroyed. Not by natural disaster, but by human hands. Demolition may bring short-term profit, but its long-term costs are enormous: rising rents, rising emissions, and the irreversible loss of cultural and social fabric. At Space&Matter, we have always believed in a different path — one where re-use, adaptation, and circularity drive our designs.
HouseEurope! a powerful citizens’ initiative that seeks to stop unnecessary demolition and make renovation the new norm pushes for European legislation that prioritizes renovation, making it the default choice across the continent.
For us, this aligns directly with our daily practice: designing with what’s already there, valuing communities over short-term gain, and creating future-proof environments that respect both people and planet. By supporting HouseEurope!, we aim to amplify this urgent message and help pave the way for a systemic shift in how Europe treats its built heritage.
We stand together with HouseEurope!
Space&Matter collaborated with local entrepreneurs Jaap Kersten and Paul Brouwer to design a Surf District at the Johan van Hasseltcanal in Amsterdam, transforming one of the city's most polluted waterways into a green, blue waterfront featuring an integrated wavepool for surfing. The Surf District serves as a vibrant, inclusive space where sport, ecology, and community converge.
Our project SILO has been featured in the foresight section of the research publication Laag voor Laag (Layer for Layer): Biobased Insulation Materials in Mid-High Residential Buildings, which showcases insightful examples of biobased residential architecture across Europe. Download the publication here (for free).
SILO is designed with a strong focus on biobased materials, incorporating hemp-based insulation among cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the construction and biocomposite materials for the facade.
We visited the Rowing Club Dusseldorf to research and get a grip on the site and the context.
Together with the municipality of Amsterdam we ran three workshops with urban designers, public space designers and architects to think about concrete tools for sustainable urban design. The outcomes served as a base for a manifest. We designed a sketchbook to bring the manifest into the designprocesses of the urban designers and public space designers.
For our project Silo in Deventer we're aiming to reuse elements from a former farmfood factory nearby the plot.
We submitted sketch design proposal for a school in Aalsmeer, together with Kraaijvanger.
Johan van Hasseltkade 306
1032 LP Amsterdam
Netherlands
+31 (0)20 630 6590
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Space&Matter BV
KvK 66153344