Associate Design Director, MVRDV
Gijs Rikken (NL), joined MVRDV in 2007 after completinghis Master of Architecture at the Eindhoven University of Technology. As Design Director for Studio 8, hedrives design direction for the development and execution of a wide variety of projects in the Netherlands and abroad, ranging from large-scale,complex buildings to detailed innovative materials research. His core strengths lie in the translation of the brief into a design underpinned by intrinsic MVRDV values. His technical background influences his fascination for materials and (innovative) materials research, which he applies to support the office’s theoretical ambitions. He is currently responsible for the development and construction of Valley, a 75,000m2 mixed-use building in Amsterdam, which boasts three residential, green-covered towers and a publicly accessible, vertical park. Other key projects include the Glass Farm in Schijndel, The Crystal Houses in Amsterdam, and the Balancing Barn in Suffolk, England. Definitive works consist of the winning design for the Urban Hybrid in Emmen, the Coral Tower in Sydney, and the Theater aan de Parade in Den Bosch.
