Ritzen Architecten was founded in Maastricht in 2001 by Stefan Ritzen, following his experience at Heeling Krop Bekkering in Groningen, Charles Vandenhove & Associates in Liège, and as a partner at Boosten Rats and Ritzen Architecten.

Our office operates at the intersection of architecture and urban design. We work primarily for professional clients, developers, housing associations, and design-build contractors. Around sixty percent of our work focuses on housing projects, often within complex urban settings. The rest includes offices, public and utility buildings, as well as urban planning and development initiatives. We prefer to work under full commission, guiding projects from concept and preliminary design through to final documentation, permits, and construction. Because of our commitment to careful detailing, we achieve the best results by remaining involved throughout the entire process.

Many of our architectural projects are set within urban frameworks we have designed ourselves. The dialogue between architecture and urban context is central to our way of working and one of the firm’s defining principles. We have extensive experience collaborating in construction teams and coordinating tendering procedures for housing associations. Over the years, our office has ranged in size from fifteen to three people, depending on the scale of ongoing projects. While cost estimation and specifications are outsourced to trusted partners, all 3D modeling and visualizations are crafted by our team, ensuring both precision and design continuity.

At Ritzen Architecten, every design begins with the search for harmony between building and environment. We see architecture as a dialogue with its context, each intervention should strengthen its place, reveal its character, and make the surroundings more meaningful and beautiful.

By anchoring architecture in its context, a design becomes readable, distinctive, and full of identity. This applies equally to urban and landscape settings. In projects such as Citadel Assen, the grain and scale of the buildings are carefully attuned to the existing urban fabric, ensuring that old and new form a cohesive whole. In Vaals and Sint Josef, we draw inspiration from biophilic design, an architectural design approach that deepens our connection to nature and enhances the experience of its setting.

Across both urban and rural contexts, we seek the inner harmony of the building itself. Our work often draws on fractal geometry: the idea that a whole is composed of recurring forms at multiple scales, like a leaf reflecting the structure of a tree. This way of thinking extends from the spatial composition down to the smallest detail. Material choices and detailing are therefore integral, not decorative, they are what give each project its coherence and recognizability.

Over the years, our practice has evolved toward a more holistic and human-centered approach. We design with empathy, not only for the surrounding context, but also for the people who will inhabit the spaces. By placing ourselves in their position, we strive to imagine the quality, emotion, and atmosphere of each space we create.

In our studio we design with the heart and the mind, combining emotional intuition with analytical precision. We believe that meaningful architecture begins with a genuine connection to the assignment: understanding what truly matters to the client, the site, and the life that will unfold within it. Ultimately our ambition is to create architecture that not only fits its context but adds something lasting to it, we seek to leave every environment we work in stronger, more meaningful, and more beautiful than we found it.

Team members of Ritzen Architecten through the years: Ana Paula Moraes, Anniek Roelings, Astrid van Beek, Ariana Loris, Adnan Kucukakyuz, Atanasov Ivelin Georgiev, Aleksandra Tarkhova, Beate Begon, Bert Brands, Cecilia Brusoni, Christian Severens, Christina Pils, Chiara Loris, Dennis van de Akker, Geometre Boscolo, Gabriela Hernandez, Ilse Warrens-Meijer, Ina Dogga, Imenda Dishncia, Lian Fuchs, Lonnie Koken, Linh Nguyen, Mark Pesch, Michiel Ritzen, Monique Janssen, Nataliya Kuznetsova, Nicola Herzberg, Pascal Cornelissen, Rachel Schaafsma, Soma Sharaf, Sandy Pijpers, Sharon Janssen, Stefan Ritzen, Stephan Elzingha, Ton Pachen, Twan Ubachs, Verena Wunden, Yajie Wang-Campagne, Zorica Jovanovic-Castelijns.

We are always interested in meeting driven and creative individuals who share our enthusiasm for architecture and urban design. Our projects range from early concepts to realisation, often within complex urban settings that call for both imagination and precision. If you would like to be part of our work, you are welcome to send an open application. Please send us by email your CV, portfolio, and a short motivation letter (PDF, max.10 MB) to:

info@ritzenarchitecten.nl

project@ritzenarchitecten.nl

All submissions are reviewed carefully, and we will contact you if a suitable position becomes available. Even when there are no immediate openings, we appreciate connecting with skilled and motivated professionals who may contribute to our projects in the future.