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| Atelier Kempe Thill | |
|---|---|
| Name | Atelier Kempe Thill |
| Founded | 1990s |
| Founders | Ferdinand Kempe; Christoph Thill |
| Practice | Rotterdam; Berlin; Tokyo |
| Significant projects | Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2010; IJburg Housing; Kunstmuseum refurbishment |
| Awards | European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture; Mies van der Rohe Prize shortlist |
Atelier Kempe Thill is a Rotterdam-based architectural office founded by Ferdinand Kempe and Christoph Thill. The practice has worked across the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and beyond, engaging in urban housing, cultural institutions, and exhibition design with a reputation for precise detailing and adaptive reuse. Their work intersects with projects and institutions across Europe and Asia, contributing to debates led by figures and organizations in contemporary architecture.
Founded in the 1990s by Ferdinand Kempe and Christoph Thill, the office emerged during the same period as practices led by Rem Koolhaas, Oma (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), MVRDV, Benthem Crouwel Architects and Neutelings Riedijk Architects. Early commissions coincided with regeneration initiatives in Rotterdam, Berlin, and Amsterdam, aligning with civic programs from Stroom Den Haag, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Netherlands Architecture Institute, and city-driven housing policies in IJburg. The firm’s timeline intersects with exhibitions at Venice Biennale, events curated by Remment Lucas, and collaborations with cultural venues such as Kunsthal Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and Japan Foundation. Their development paralleled discourse from critics at The Architectural Review, Domus, Dezeen, and archives at RIBA and AIA.
Notable works include urban housing on IJburg, pavilion and exhibition projects for Expo 2010 Shanghai and the Dutch Pavilion, gallery interventions at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and refurbishment work adjacent to Kunsthal Rotterdam. Other commissions span cultural buildings in Berlin and mixed-use developments in Eindhoven and Utrecht. Projects have been discussed alongside works by Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, SANAA, Steven Holl, and David Chipperfield in publications from Architectural Review, El Croquis, and catalogues of the Venice Biennale of Architecture.
The practice’s approach is often compared with the rationalism of Alvar Aalto, the material sensitivity of Tadao Ando, and the urban strategies of Aldo Rossi. Their projects emphasize material honesty, modular organization, and contextual insertion in historic neighborhoods of Rotterdam, Haarlem, and Düsseldorf. Philosophical positions echo debates advanced by Colin Rowe, Manfredo Tafuri, Koolhaas, and Remment Lucas, and are presented in forums hosted by Copenhagen School of Architecture, TU Delft, ETH Zurich, and Harvard GSD. The firm’s work engages with policies and programs associated with European Union urban research, housing paradigms influenced by Bauhaus precedents, and conservation practices seen in projects by I. M. Pei and Norman Foster.
Recognitions include shortlistings and awards in competitions judged by panels containing figures from Mies van der Rohe Prize, Pritzker Architecture Prize committees, and juries affiliated with RIBA and BDA. Projects have been exhibited and awarded at venues such as the Venice Biennale, and featured in prize lists curated by The Architectural Review and World Architecture Festival. Their work appears in award catalogues alongside laureates like Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Renzo Piano, and Jean Nouvel.
- Netherlands: Housing on IJburg, refurbishments in Rotterdam, interventions at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and commissions in Utrecht and Eindhoven; projects tied to programs by Bouwfonds and municipal offices of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. - Germany: Cultural and residential projects in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and collaborations with institutions such as Bundesstiftung Baukultur and regional chambers like BDA. - Japan: Exhibitions and collaborations in Tokyo and participation in events organized by Japan Foundation and galleries linked to TOTO Gallery and Tokyo University of the Arts. - China and Asia: Pavilion and exhibition projects related to Expo 2010 Shanghai and other international commissions showcased in venues linked to China Architecture Design & Research Group and regional biennales.
The office has partnered with engineering firms and consultants associated with Arup, AKT II, and WSP, and cooperated with landscape offices such as West 8 and Hargreaves Associates. Academic collaborations include guest lectures and studio partnerships with TU Delft, ETH Zurich, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. They have worked with cultural producers and curators from Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and international biennale organizers from Biennale di Venezia.
Work by the practice has been published in periodicals including Domus, Architectural Review, Zeit Online Kultur, De Architect, and catalogues of the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Exhibitions have been held in institutions like Het Nieuwe Instituut, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Deutsches Architekturmuseum, and galleries in Tokyo and Shanghai. Monographs and essays situate their projects alongside those of MVRDV, OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, and SANAA in edited volumes distributed by publishers such as Phaidon, Taschen, and Birkhäuser.
Category:Architectural firms of the Netherlands