Rapp+Rapp

It is hard to capture the work of Rapp+Rapp in a single style. Even so, there are a number of characteristics that can be distilled from our projects: a predilection for sturdy buildings firmly tied to the underlying ground, the use of robust artisanal materials, an avoidance of fashionable interventions that soon give designs that dated look, and a focus on architectural urbanism, that is, on defining space by modelling the objects that delimit it. Our designs are not inspired by a literal conservatism. We are much more interested in the usefulness of historical artefacts, because they can be seen as carriers of essential characteristics. From this approach we have also developed a special predilection for restoration, restructuring and reuse. Throughout the past decade Rapp+Rapp has been building up a reputation with high-profile projects both in the Netherlands and abroad. The practice's German origins and the international context in which we operate have consistently yielded striking results. Christian Rapp's involvement as professor of Rational Architecture at Eindhoven University of Technology leads to a complementary balance between theory and practice. This chair accords on all fronts with what has latterly become a priority area in the work of Rapp+Rapp, namely to design and build urban and metropolitan ensembles in what are rapidly changing socioeconomic conditions.