Associate Director and architect Gijs Rikken (1980, Boxtel, The Netherlands) joined MVRDV in 2007 after completing his Master of Architecture at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Rikken drives design direction for the development and execution of a wide variety of projects in the Netherlands and Flanders, ranging from large-scale, complex buildings to detailed innovative materials research. Rikken’s core strengths lie in the translation of the brief into a design underpinned by intrinsic MVRDV values. His technical background influences his fascination for innovative materials and research, which he applies to support the office’s ambitions.

Rikken was part of the team responsible for the development and construction of Valley, a 75,000-square-metre mixed-use building in Amsterdam, which boasts three residential, greenery-covered towers and a publicly accessible vertical park. Other key projects include Tripolis Park and Crystal Houses in Amsterdam, and the Balancing Barn in Suffolk. Current developments he is overseeing include the Schieblocks in Rotterdam, the Strijp-S Tribune in Eindhoven, and Van Gogh Homeland in Tilburg. 

“At MVRDV, we continuously push the envelope. As architects, we have an obligation to try to change the world into something better. Something greener, more social, more mixed, more accessible, more wonderful.” – Gijs Rikken