Jeroen Steenvoorden is a Dutch architect and founding partner of Studio PROTOTYPE, an Amsterdam-based architecture practice recognized for its tactile, atmospheric designs rooted in clarity and material honesty. Since co-founding the studio, Steenvoorden has led a diverse portfolio ranging from private houses and public buildings to cultural and civic typologies, including the award-nominated Rijkskantoor Justitie Zaanstad—a highly secure government facility that balances structural order with human-scaled serenity.
Under Steenvoorden’s direction, Studio PROTOTYPE has garnered international recognition with nominations for the ARC25 Awards and Architectenweb’s Office Building of the Year, as well as an Honourable Mention in the Daylight Award for House W. The studio’s work has been published extensively across respected platforms such as Architecture Lab, ArchDaily, and Detail, highlighting its commitment to creating architecture that is both systemic and sensual. Steenvoorden’s philosophy—designing from analysis toward atmosphere—underpins a practice that bridges functional clarity with spatial poetry, inviting users into spaces defined by proportion, tactility, and timeless restraint.
What inspires you?
We are inspired by the tension between structure and material — by how architecture can both bring order to complexity and touch the senses.
What inspired you to become a designer?
I think it started with the awareness that the world around us is man-made — that as designers we can give meaningful form to that world. I was drawn less to form-making and more to the cultural role of architecture: the idea that it can quietly improve the way we live, work, and interact.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
We design from analysis towards atmosphere. Every project begins with understanding — the logic of the site, the rhythm of the program, the potential of construction. Within that framework, we search for the poetic: a tactility, a material tension, a certain silence. Our architecture is systemic yet sensual.
What is your favorite project?
The projects where structure and atmosphere merge — where the logic of the system disappears into spatial experience.
Our recent project for the Dutch Government, the Justice Office in Zaanstad, is a good example. We were involved from the landscape to the smallest interior detail. For the users, it is a highly functional building — its architecture seems almost a natural consequence of that — yet it is a layered composition in which every material and detail serves both the functional logic and the spatial, human experience.
What is your favorite detail?
That is an interesting question. Perhaps the shadow joint between materials. Much of the quality lies in that thin line of separation — the void that reveals the order of construction, where the system and the craft become visible.
In Ministry of EZ, KGG & LVVN, the shutter detail shows how the space between materials can become a place of connection. The wooden shutters mark the entrances, and their suspension is designed so that the slats align precisely with the open joint between the existing and renovated façade battens. The metal support structure runs through these slats, creating a clear and readable geometry in which the connections remain visible and the fixing elements are naturally woven into the design.
Do you have a favorite material?
I don’t believe in favorite materials as much as in appropriate ones. We are drawn to honest materials — wood, stone, concrete, metal — not for how they look, but for how they age, how they absorb light, how they sound when touched. There is no wrong material, only material used for the wrong purpose.
What is your process for starting a new project?
Every project begins with exploring the assignment. We start by observing — not drawing, but understanding: the place, its history, the people who will use it. This means engaging with the client, whether a private individual or a public institution, but also reading the wider context — site, society, and ambition.
Only through deep understanding can we create an architecture that responds not only to today’s needs but also remains timeless and adaptable for the future.
How do you fuel your creativity?
By working with others and staying curious. Every commission is a unique journey that asks for a good dose of enthusiastic curiosity. Creativity doesn’t come from isolation but from dialogue — with colleagues, clients, and craftsmen. Architecture is a collaborative process, and that exchange of ideas keeps it alive.
What inspired Rijkskantoor Justitie Zaanstad?
This branch of the Ministry of Justice published a book called “In a Straight Line.” It says something about their mentality — direct, precise, principled. At the same time, their work requires a humane, trustworthy environment.
Our ambition was to create an inviting, serene interior within a highly secure framework: a rational system that brings order, combined with a tactile palette that humanizes the building. It’s about building trust through proportion, light, and material — not through spectacle.
How did materiality shape House of Dentons?
For House of Dentons, we composed a palette of natural materials to create richness through simplicity. Not the classic image of a law firm filled with marble, but rather an interior defined by modest materials — wood, textile, stone — whose combination produces a warm, refined, and welcoming atmosphere.
Here, materials define the atmosphere, not decoration: muted tones, natural finishes, crafted precision.
How did the public embrace Ministry of EZ, KGG & LVVN?
The building itself is not publicly accessible, yet it houses four ministries and forms part of the city’s daily life. The collective spaces we designed — the meeting areas, the restaurant, the conference rooms — touch the urban realm.
They are located in a transparent greenhouse, originally designed by Dam & Partners, which is now truly green and visually connected to the city. These spaces are open to the view of passers-by, while offering users privacy and comfort — with greenery acting as both filter and connection. By allowing light, views, and vegetation to become part of the interior life, the building invites a sense of connection rather than exclusion.
What advice would you give to young architects?
Understand how things are made and why. Learn to think in systems, but always stay close to materials — they will teach you how architecture works. Be precise and consistent, but keep room for intuition. Good architecture is not about form or style, but about creating spaces that feel natural and relevant over time.
