Steinmetzdemeyer Architectes Urbanistes

In 1989 Nico Steinmetz founded his architecture studio in "Rue Malakoff" in Luxembourg, following the first contest he won with the help of his partner until 1994, Stefano Moreno: the conversion of a former factory in Hollerich which became the Downtown complex, a Mecca of the city nightlife. This collaboration gave birth to several projects including the renovation of the residential buildings of "Rue du Nord" with its shops and the house Seiler in Heffingen, youth manifesto on the revival of rural housing.

In 1990 Arnaud De Meyer and Nico Steinmetz met at the "Institut Supérieur d'Architecture St-Luc" in Brussels, where the first enters as a student while the second begins to officiate as an assistant of professor Jean Cosse for the architecture workshop.

In 1995 Arnaud De Meyer joins the architecture studio Nico Steinmetz as associate architect. That same year, Nico Steinmetz received the first Luxembourg Award for Architecture for the house and studio in "Rue Malakoff".

The characteristics of the workshop’s projects are the scale and the connection to the site, the extensive study of the details and mastery of the materiality of the buildings. The urban component is particularly sensitive and reflections on the layout and structures of urban spaces from the start include reflections on architectural projects. Between 1997 and 2000, the studio is working on its first major project: the transformation and expansion of the Ancient Spa in Mondorf-les-Bains which includes an extension of the ballroom and the renovation of the Pavilion of the Source Kind as well as the creation of the entrance for the Thermal Park; the entire project was completed in 2001.

With this experience, the collaboration of both architects took an official turn with the foundation of the association STEINMETZDEMEYER architects and urban planners in 2001. The foundation of the association cultivates a non-specialization, which means that the office works on a variety of projects of all types and scales. The duo starts soon being talked about: A new project has been confessed to this young association: the makeover of the historic house Thorn in Niederanven into a "Kulturhaus" (culture house). They have preserved the ancient building and designed a new additional space of glass, steel and native species (inaugurated in 2007).

Then, the workshop is rewarded the prize for architecture in "Habitat" in 2004 for the realization of "Weber's house", a detached house combining workplace and living place in a single site in Dippach. In 2007 the association was awarded the Luxembourg Award for Architecture, category workspace, for the transformation of an old joiner’s workshop in an office building housing the 80 employees of the company "InCA Engineering". Alternating glass frames with wood siding modules give a strong identity to the building that is located in an industrial area.

Also in 2007, the office wins an architectural contest organized by the City of Luxembourg: the association now works on the creation of a successor to the current "Bierger-Center" (public building). Exhibition spaces, reception and meeting facilities, accommodation possibilities and a new wedding hall complement the new building at «Place Guillaume». In 2008, STDM wins the architectural competition for the "SES Business Center" in Betzdorf. The project has been realized in 2012.

In 2009, STEINMETZDEMEYER takes part in another international architectural competition for the station device in Cessange in 2009, in association with the German architecture office POHL. They won the second place in conceiving an architectural complex as a continuation of the urban environment and landscape. Moreover, in 2010, STDM were successful candidates in the competition for the new Luxexpo Kirchberg and Kirchberg Station under the aegis of the "Fonds d’urbanisation du Kirchberg". Each project component will display its own identity as a benchmark throughout the neighborhood and all will interact to form an "urban landscape".

Another contest has been won in 2010: STEINMETZDEMEYER participated in the contest of the City of Luxembourg "2010 Baulücken 2" which aims to provide urban housing at affordable prices without compromise on quality of living spaces and aesthetics. "Knowledge comes from experience, everything else is just information" said Einstein. With over 20 years of experience, the duo built systematically a solid foundation. They continue their pursuit of knowledge and experience with enthusiasm in projects that they want to be always different, exciting and rewarding.

Our architecture
Working on a new project is exploring new paths, initiating analytical work and research to find out “what the project wants to become”. It is moving forward, systematically, to get it out of the fog until it becomes obvious. The architecture arises from constraints; it does not suffer from them. Build spaces are the result of a meeting between functional requirements of the project and its physical and cultural environment. Our research on structure and materials become visible through comprehensible construction.

Our accomplishment is the result of a strong technical study on construction details. Our target is to strengthen the social greatness of our environment by improving the quality of life in private, public, interior or exterior areas. Sustainability is in the extent, not in the excess. To be sustainable, the architecture should primarily produce excellent indoor and outdoor areas, designed to age well, both on a concrete and architectural level.

Architecture takes into account the physical context: orientation, sun, protection, choice of construction materials, local or regional resources... Therefore, it responds to energy and health concerns during any life cycles of the building. Completed projects integrate eco-design principles and rational use of energy, which are key considerations for any architectural achievement of our time.

Since 1996, when we first began sustainable construction, we continued our research and training in that field which allows us today to design buildings with high environmental quality. (See the future headquarters of the “Mouvement Écologique ».)

Our business
STEINMETZDEMEYER is an architectural bureau. It should be understood as a place of creation closely linked to the “building material” and where ranges of additional skills are put together for quality.

We promote «manufacture architecture”: a handmade, tailored, customized and carefully considered architecture. We believe the drawings are a research tool, revealing the potential of a project. Drawing, an experienced hand gesture allows a good and efficient communication with the partners. Therefore, main requirements and questions are always deliberated.

We claim two basic guidelines:
We refuse to concentrate on only one sort of project. We have an “anti- specialization” approach. The diversity is essential for us to renew our point of view and especially generate the real pleasure that we have at work. Therefore, we put the same energy on designing furniture as well as urban planning.

However, we become experts within our method, our expertise or our searching, as every project must be approached with fresh, constantly forecasting eyes. For this, we engage ourselves to a perpetual hunt of readings, discoveries, interpretations, confrontations and natural and symbolic built sites.

The “vision remains”: We preserve a global approach, including urban, environmental, human and financial aspects during the design. Moreover, our workshop is not separated into teams dedicated to the different phases of the mission. Projects are taken in charge by only one team, from A to Z. The team leader architect works closely with the associates. This office structure becomes efficient and devoted to the project from the draft to the epilogue.

Our service
Architect is a service provider business. It is rare that regulations of town planning, which are essentials, are perfectly in line with the dreamed project. That is why we very often cutting them a part in order to see through clearly the potential listed between the lines, to maximize the architecture.

This critical understanding of the rules helps our research of the written parts of master plans or the development plans of urban projects that we undertake.

Texts and graphical documents must guarantee a general coherence, and convey clear intentions and a global vision to be developed, maintaining at the same time the potential of creativity. As the implementation of such projects can extend over decades, it must also include the development of the vision, even his questioning. The associate architects are guarantors of the architectural quality and of the provided services through the teams. They assume the following -up of the projects, and keep on close contact between them for the communication of strategic questions. This method of working has already guaranteed us efficient monitoring on project.

STEINMETZDEMEYER is a singled out architecture bureau where an Office Manager position has been created since 2008. She is in charge of the business administration, finance and legal matters as well the managing of human resources. As a result, the partners can now fully concentrate their job and passion.