Who are we?
Studio Marco Vermeulen (SMV) is a design agency for architecture, urban planning, landscape, and design research located on Noordereiland in Rotterdam. The studio was founded in 2009 by Marco Vermeulen, who was a co-founder of Urban Affairs from 1999 onwards. SMV consists of a compact team of passionate architects, urban planners, and landscape architects dedicated to contributing to a more sustainable, livable, and (nature) inclusive future.
How we work.
Synergy Between Themes
SMV is a dynamic and interdisciplinary agency operating at the intersection of urban planning, architecture, and landscape. We enjoy being challenged by projects that encompass multiple design disciplines, time dimensions, scales, and themes. The complex issues of today require innovative solutions.
Therefore, we actively seek the overlap between different domains and seize opportunities to connect disciplines for a stronger outcome. Themes we like to focus on include: the agricultural transition, the energy transition, plant-based construction, and the development of living landscapes.
Therefore, we actively seek the overlap between different domains and seize opportunities to connect disciplines for a stronger outcome. Themes we like to focus on include: the agricultural transition, the energy transition, plant-based construction, and the development of living landscapes.
By constantly shifting between scales, we develop innovative solutions that work both at the detail level and on a larger scale.
All Scales Matters
We believe that every scale counts. We enjoy frequently switching between large and small, system and practice, abstract and concrete. In short, between design research and research by design.
By operating across different levels of scale, we develop solutions that work both at the detail level and on a larger scale. Solutions that seem logical on a large scale may encounter obstacles at a smaller scale, such as policy restrictions, costs, technical challenges, or societal resistance. This process of alternating between scales enables us to discover new insights and solutions and provides us with a deeper understanding of potential bottlenecks.
Our small-scale projects feed into our large-scale research, and vice versa, allowing us to effectively translate complex societal issues into concrete spatial solutions.
By operating across different levels of scale, we develop solutions that work both at the detail level and on a larger scale. Solutions that seem logical on a large scale may encounter obstacles at a smaller scale, such as policy restrictions, costs, technical challenges, or societal resistance. This process of alternating between scales enables us to discover new insights and solutions and provides us with a deeper understanding of potential bottlenecks.
Our small-scale projects feed into our large-scale research, and vice versa, allowing us to effectively translate complex societal issues into concrete spatial solutions.
Vision for the Future
We believe in the power of strong visions for the future. Our society faces enormous challenges, and the urgency to change is clearly felt. However, without a clear vision of the future, energy can work in conflicting directions, leading to a lack of progress.
Just as vectors that cancel each other out cause stagnation, a shared focus can create direction and momentum. When everyone is looking in the same direction, change becomes inevitable. A powerful vision for the future serves as the engine that inspires and mobilizes people.
Just as vectors that cancel each other out cause stagnation, a shared focus can create direction and momentum. When everyone is looking in the same direction, change becomes inevitable. A powerful vision for the future serves as the engine that inspires and mobilizes people.
A powerful vision for the future serves as the engine that inspires and mobilizes people.
Design Research
A key approach in our studio is design research: a dynamic and iterative design method. Our research process is not a straight line; it is an iterative process of action (designing) and reflection (researching). Designing and researching continually alternate, leading to a fruitful cross-pollination between abstract ambitions and their tangible spatial translations. Ambitions and strategies are constantly tested against reality (synthesizing).
Unlike a linear process, where a design is created only after gathering all information, we begin design research with sketching from day one. These sketches are not final products but living documents that are continuously adapted and are part of the research process. Thanks to this iterative process, there is always room for refining ambitions and acquiring new knowledge.
Furthermore, during design research, there is ample opportunity for collaboration with other parties, allowing everyone to contribute valuable knowledge and ideas. Together at the drawing table, we sketch the future. This approach is not only inviting but also an extremely effective way to test ideas and make their impact clear.
Design research is goal-oriented, iterative, hands-on, enhances engagement, allows for connections between themes, and has a significant impact. In short, it is a proven method for formulating integrated answers to the challenges we face as a society.
Unlike a linear process, where a design is created only after gathering all information, we begin design research with sketching from day one. These sketches are not final products but living documents that are continuously adapted and are part of the research process. Thanks to this iterative process, there is always room for refining ambitions and acquiring new knowledge.
Furthermore, during design research, there is ample opportunity for collaboration with other parties, allowing everyone to contribute valuable knowledge and ideas. Together at the drawing table, we sketch the future. This approach is not only inviting but also an extremely effective way to test ideas and make their impact clear.
Design research is goal-oriented, iterative, hands-on, enhances engagement, allows for connections between themes, and has a significant impact. In short, it is a proven method for formulating integrated answers to the challenges we face as a society.