Wonderwoods
Wonderwoods is about a new balance between nature and the city. It is a development for tomorrow: a blueprint for living harmoniously with nature in the heart of a city. This brand-new sustainable neighbourhood in the heart of Utrecht features a 1-hectare vertical forest and 10 winter gardens — a beautiful flora and fauna filled world for people to live, work and play. We call it happiness 2.0.
Working with world-famous architect Stefano Boeri and MVSH, we developed the concept and co-created the architecture and landscape design, carrying our concept through to name, brand identity, and communications strategy, plus services, tools, retail offer, and a green mobility scheme. For the grand finale, we worked with renowned Tokyo artist collab Team Labon a striking museum where art, technology, design and the natural world converge.
Wonderwoods is a G&S Vastgoed & Kondorwesselsproject, acquired by ASR. It is slated to open in 2024.
The Beacon
Stndrd worked on The Beacon, a haven of Zen in Amsterdam’s bustling Zuidas that is set to light up Amsterdam’s business district: a veritable antidote to the grey ‘Financial Mile’. Applying the latest thinking in sustainable design principles, this 20-storey mixed-use tower aims to create a tranquil green oasis: a place where people can live, work, reflect, and be inspired by art – whether wandering through the sculpture garden, catching flashes of video art in the atrium, or taking part in cultural events.
We were honoured to be invited to work on this project. We co-created the concept and developed the name and brand identity, worked closely with developer (G&S) and archictect (Powerhouse) to align concept, design and branding. We also worked on the retail and F&B offer, as well as art programming.
OKU House
OKU house is a project of Boelens de Gruyter. A unique solution to the lack of space in cities, OKU House is constructed of a new volume on and around an old building (without both parts touching each other) in Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West district. Stndrd developed a concept based on ‘inner spaces’ created between the two volumes — ‘OKU’ in Japanese. We reflected this concept through the identity, co-directed architecture, landscaping, retail offer, shared spaces, and more.
Perspective House
Personal growth gets a new perspective. On the Blaak in Rotterdam, Stndrd developed a radical residential concept around literature. Stndrd was involved in all aspects of the development from concept to identity to cultural collaborations, co-creating architecture and landscaping with partners, and responsible for interior design, services, and more. Currently sold and under construction.
A New District
Stndrd was asked at a very early stage to develop a mindset and concept for a large-scale urban district next to Rotterdam Centraal station. We built a narrative and concept based around inclusivity — a place that would welcome people from all walks of life, with creative arts playing a strong role. A fantastic green park and connecting underground spaces lay at the heart of the idea. Stndrd worked on services and partners, and had the honour to collaborate with the late great architect Rafael Viñoly on this project.
HOME
Stndrd wants to give back to the community. We believe that everybody should feel at home in their city. HOME is a new residential offer for midlevel renters. It aims to address the pressing housing shortage by serving key-workers, young entrepreneurs and creatives who are vital to the community, yet often forced out due to rising costs.
The investor, together with Stndrd, wanted to make an impact. Together we set out the HOME mission: to create quality, affordable, and sustainable housing that connects residents, boosts their social wellbeing, and adds to the local community — a modular and scalable product that could enhance our cities and improve people’s lives. We worked on the brand, product, digital, interior design and services, and co-created architecture and landscape design (ARUP and GP+B).
We invite everyone to join the discussion and we hope to collaborate with partners, including city councils, urban experts and producers, to advance urban thinking, help key-workers and deliver this vision.
Hi
In one of the biggest competitions in the Netherlands, Stndrd partnered to develop a vision for an entirely new urban area, comprising residential apartments, offices, hospitality, retail, and cultural offer, all surrounding the former office of a blue-chip giant. We set a direction based on the blue-chip company’s progressive mindset,
reimagining the space for a new generation of workers, residents and visitors. Based on this we curated six renowned international architect teams and an international landscape team. We co-created with the New York-based architect and London-based landscape designer and worked with investor partners on services and other tools for the area, together creating a fresh vision and creative execution for this complex and ambitious tender.
Huys
Michael Steyn worked on this project in a team prior to setting up Stndrd. Completed in 2016, Huys is a historic loft building in Manhattan’s NoMad neighbourhood that’s been transformed into 56 luxury apartments.
With an all-Dutch team including the developer Kroonenberg Groep. , Dutch design DNA was key to the project. Drawing on New York’s rich Dutch history, our team built a concept around the beauty of Dutch simplicity. This was reflected in the name, Huys, identity, and a communications campaign that garnered plenty of media attention — including The New York Times — and resonated with the target audience. It resulted in commercial success too: In 2014, the average price increase per square foot in the NoMad area was 15.5%, vs a 28% increase for Huys.
The Student Hotel
The Student Hotel (recently renamed The Social Hub) set out to raise the bar with an award-winning hybrid concept aimed at students, tourists and other travellers. The foundational elements that Michael Steyn created in a team — including concept, strategy, identity, digital, interiors, and signage — continue to fuel the ongoing growth and success of the brand. It now has more than 10,000 rooms in 20 cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, and Vienna, with many more to come.
The Opus
The late Zaha Hadid designed this remarkable mixed-use building in Dubai, formed as a cube with a dramatic void at its centre. As part of a team Michael Steyn created a simple and bold identity and communication concept that drove the narrative, drawing inspiration from the defining architectural feature: a simple idea of not using the open central space.