Kees Christiaanse

Kees Christiaanse is a renowned Dutch architect and urban planner. Educated in architecture and urban planning at Delft University of Technology, he became a partner at OMA under Rem Koolhaas before founding KCAP Architects & Planners in 1989 — a multidisciplinary practice with offices in Rotterdam, Zürich, and Paris. Christiaanse’s design ethos centers on the “social machine” — architecture that fosters inclusive, walkable, and mixed-use urban environments. His major works include the master plan for HafenCity in Hamburg, the Olympic Legacy Masterplan in London, and exemplary urban redevelopments such as Europaallee in Zürich. He also served as an independent juror for the 2021 Florenc21 urban design competition, contributing his deep expertise in urban transformation.