WITH 90+ CATEGORIES AND 300+ JURORS, THE ARCHITIZER A+AWARDS IS THE WORLD’S DEFINITIVE ARCHITECTURAL AWARDS PROGRAM. IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE EXTENDED DEADLINE, JANUARY 30, 2015, WE ARE PUBLISHING Q&AS WITH 2014 A+AWARD WINNERS. TO SEE A FULL LIST OF CATEGORIES AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE A+AWARDS, VISIT AWARDS.ARCHITIZER.COM.
Paul de Ruiter Architects was the 2014 Jury Award winner and Popular Choice winner for the Typology Single Family Home >3,000 sq ft category with Villa Kogelhof. This energy-saving home is made of two stacked volumes, one underground and one floating above ground.
Your name: Paul de Ruiter
Firm: Paul de Ruiter Architects
Location: Valschermkade 36, Amsterdam
Education: Technical University Delft, Master in Architecture, Cum Laude
Technical University, Ph.D: “The Chameleon Skin” on energy-neutral buildings
When did you decide that you wanted to be an architect?
When I was 14 years old, I saw the Magic Kingdom building. This made me want to become an architect.
What was your first architecture/design job?
My first architecture job was at UN Studio as an architect.
Who is your design hero and/or what is your favorite building?
My favorite building is Jean Nouvel’s Monde du Arab, designed in 1985, because the building depicts a beautiful combination between architecture, technology, and storytelling of the Arab world (and is still cutting-edge modern).
Tell us something that people might not know about your winning entry:
People might not know that Villa Kogelhof is completely autarkic.
Which jurors do you find most compelling and why?
Eric Cesal because he founded Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that has been building a better future through the power of design.
Among your fellow A+Award winners, what is/are your favorite(s)?
My favorite is one of the more modest designs. The portable home of the ABATON Architects. The design is brilliant, simple, and, most of all, very practical.
Portable Home A´PH80 by ABATON Architects
Other than your computer (or phone), what is your most important tool?
My most important design tool is my black Pentel sign pen and sketch roll.
What is the most important quality in an architect?
The most important quality of an architect is that he wants to push the boundaries, to find new solutions that nobody else has thought of before.
