Selected works 2014—2026 Public · Adaptive reuse · Cultural Drawing no. 20—26 Rotterdam · Lisbon · Oslo

SECTION.

An architecture and urbanism practice working on public buildings, stubborn old structures and the space between them. We draw slowly and build to last.

Est. 2014, Rotterdam
Studio 18 people
Awards 11 / 6 shortlists
Selected work ↓ The practice
Civic Thread / Rotterdam / 2025
+24.00 / +12.00 / ±0.00 24.0 M PUBLIC STAIR ROOF LIGHT GALLERY ATRIUM NORTH ELEVATION / SCALE 1:200 SECTION A—A NORTH CANAL N ↑ COURTYARD PUBLIC ENTRANCE GARDEN SERVICE SITE / 4,800 M² SITE PLAN / SCALE 1:500 PLAN 01
Section A—A / 1:200Drawn: 12.06.26Not for construction
Scroll for the index Public work / 2014—2026 51.9244° N — 4.4777° E
01 / Index of works

Buildings with
something to say.

Five recent projects. Full index and references on request.

01 — 05 / 24
01 / 24White geometric building facade with a strict grid.
Public / CultureRotterdam

Civic Thread

A library, a stair and a square woven into one continuous public room.

Year2025
Area8,400 m²
02 / 24Brutalist concrete building with strong horizontal shadows.
Adaptive reuseAntwerp

The Long Room

A 1960s office block opened up into 114 homes and a shared winter garden.

Year2024
Area12,200 m²
03 / 24Angular white concrete structure against a pale sky.
CultureOslo

Museum of the Ordinary

A museum for everyday objects, arranged like a small, walkable city.

Year2023
Area5,100 m²
04 / 24Angular contemporary building photographed against the sky.
ResearchUtrecht

Field Station

A working landscape lab on the edge of the polder, built from the soil beneath it.

Year2022
Area2,600 m²
05 / 24A sculptural building with deep shadows and a palm tree.
ResidentialLisbon

House for a Collector

A private house organised around a single, very long wall and a courtyard tree.

Year2021
Area540 m²
Drag / scroll to explore · 05 of 24 projectsFull index available on request
02 / Method

A building is
an argument.

Four moves, repeated with discipline. The site always gets the first word.

Process / 04 steps
01 / Read Survey

Read the site

Light, wind, neighbours, soil, noise, memory. We spend more time here than anywhere else.

51.92° N
02 / Draw Concept

Draw it twice

Once to understand it, once to argue for it. The second drawing is usually simpler.

1:200
03 / Make Technical

Make it buildable

Details that age well, junctions that can be maintained, and a drawing set a builder can trust.

1:5
04 / Keep Stewardship

Stay for the long view

We return after one year, five and ten. A building is finished when it is being looked after.

+10 yrs
03 / Practice

A small studio
with a long memory.

SECTION was founded in Rotterdam in 2014. Eighteen architects, two model-makers and one very good office dog. We take on six projects a year so the people who draw the building are the people who see it through.

38Built projects
06Projects / year
11Awards
2026Architectenweb Award — Civic ThreadWinner
2024EU Mies Award — The Long RoomShortlist
2022Dutch Design Award — Field StationWinner
2020AIA International — House for a CollectorHonor
Undulating concrete facade with deep shadows, seen from below.
The Long Room, Antwerp / photo — J. van Dijk
04 / Contact

Bring us a site.
We'll bring the argument.

studio@section.archi ↗

We read every email. We reply to the ones where we can be useful.

Rotterdam studio Westzeedijk 42, 3016 AG
Rotterdam, Netherlands
+31 10 555 0198