S333 Architecture + Urbanism Ltd

Innovation

Research is an essential part of S333’s design method, where divergent thinking, documenting change and inventing new solu- tions are used to unlock difficult sites and to create more value.
S333’s ‘house style’ is to seek an integrated approach to design that directly engages the physical, economic, environmental and social dimensions of each project. We refer to this approach as:
Architecture at an Urban Scale and Urbanism at an Architectural Scale

Profile

S333 was founded in 1997 in the Netherlands, where it flourished in an environment that fostered innovation and encouraged a col- laborative approach to urban development.
The co-founding directors, Dominic Papa and Jonathan Woodroffe are committed to design excellence.
Innovation is shared by a multinational team of talented urban designers and architects.
S333’s first completed project, a mixed-use housing project in Groningen, won international recognition and positioned S333 at the leading edge of contemporary architecture and urban design.
Since then, masterplanning, urban regeneration, innovation en- vironments, housing, leisure and mixed-use have become S333’s core business.
S333’s client list now includes government authorities, housing associations, private developers and individual entrepreneurs based in Europe, the US, Russia and the Far East.
A growing reputation in the UK led to the establishment of S333’s London office in 2005.

Approach

Urban planning is a central component of S333’s portfolio and the studio takes the multiplicity of urban scales as a starting point in the design, reasoning and procurement of all projects.
When faced with regenerating urban sites and neighbourhoods, S333 aims to discover spatial solutions that evolve urban and architectural models into new organisations and forms.
This is an approach to urban renewal that incorporates both in- vention and transformation and avoids erasing, then replacing.
S333 understands that the demands and requirements for build- ings are very different to those required for urban planning and landscape design, but the way in which we conceive our buildings is informed by these disciplines, strategically linking context, program and space.

History

In the early 1990s, Papa and Woodroffe set up Studio 333 in London with three New Zealanders, Christopher Moller, Nicolas Barratt-Boyes and Stephen McDougall to generate debate about contemporary urbanism in Europe by participating in publications, workshops and competitions.
The phenomenon of rapid global urbanisation was already appar- ent and presenting a wide range of professional opportunities. It seemed that new combinations in building functions were called for, together with a deeper understanding of how buildings work at different levels and a fresh approach to engaging with others throughout the design process.
Studio 333’s first urban competition entry in 1991 beat 750 other entrants to land a commission for a masterplan to revitalise the centre of Samarkand. With the birth of the Internet and lap- top technology, Studio 333’s ambitions to expand the scope for architectural practice geographically and professionally suddenly became a possibility.
The international group became two practices: S333 (with co- founder Burton Hamfelt) based in Amsterdam and Studio Pacific (with co-founder Evzen Novak) based in Wellington. The two practices continue to work together.