You don't have to be big to do big things. Niels Olivier Architecten is a small firm engaging in projects of all sorts and scales. We work in collaboration with (interior) architects, landscape designers, technical engineers and other experts to bring in the necessary know-how and to stay on top of things during the whole building process.

We like to make contemporary design, but 'style' is not a major issue, because architecture is subject to time, money and context. Each project is unique, and each client makes his own demands. We enjoy our struggle with this ever-changing context. A block of houses on a canal in the centre of Tilburg requires a different approach from one in the rural suburbs of Neuss (Germany), although the size and density of the projects could be the same. For us, the identity of a place, its history and former use, have to come out in a project. The user (of private buildings) and visitors (to public buildings) very much determine the atmosphere of the buildings themselves. Infrastructure, organisation and comfort are leading; it is our job to make things look good.

To us, sustainable design is self-evident and the best road to sustainability is  building nothing new at all. Therefore, before agreeing that new build is unavoidable, we will first and foremost consider transformation of the existing built-up environment. Where clients can not see the new future of existing property yet we as architects do. Make something out of nothing. This not only calls for the reuse of buildings, but also for that of existing cultivated land. We are proud to say that half our projects involve transformation. When new build is unavoidable because of scarcity or specific needs, we will always try to save materials and preserve nature as much as possible by designing compact buildings and ultimately densifying inner-city plots and rural areas.
 
Niels Olivier Architect was launched in 2013. Previously, director Niels Olivier (1977) worked as an architect for Bo.2 architectuur en stedenbouw, for more than 10 years. Since 2003 he has been teaching at the Academy of Architecture in Arnhem ("the Transformation of Cultural Heritage") and the Rotterdam University of applied sciences (admission course Academy of Architecture in Rotterdam). Last year Niels Olivier joined the management team of the Academy of Architecture of Arnhem part-time in the role of education coordinator.