Benthem Crouwel Architects is an architecture practice founded in Amsterdam in 1979 by Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel, who met while studying at Delft University of Technology. After progressively transferring the leadership of the practice to a new generation of partners, both founders formally left the studio in early 2024, following 45 years of collaboration. Since 2017, the practice has been led by Pascal Cornips, Daniel Jongtien, Saartje van der Made and Joost Vos, who currently head an international team of around fifty professionals.
The practice has received numerous distinctions, including the Berlin Art Prize for Architecture in 1989 and the BNA Kubus in 1999. Rotterdam Central Station received the Dutch Design Award and Brunel Award in 2014 and the BNA Best Building of the Year award in 2015, while the Amsterdam North/South metro line received the same BNA distinction in 2019. In 2024, Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel were awarded Amsterdam’s Frans Banninck Cocq Medal in recognition of their contribution to the city’s architecture and urban development.
Benthem Crouwel Architects works across a wide range of scales and programmes, from small houses to major transport infrastructures. Its architecture is characterised by flexible and efficient solutions that seek to balance economic, social and ecological considerations, with particular attention to innovation and sustainability. Among its best-known projects are the Stedelijk Museum, the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and the railway stations of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
