Our approach
We are an office for urbanism and landscape architecture that deploys design and research to solve complex urban problems. We put nature and urban life at the heart of our work and take collective steps towards a sustainable future. Moreover, we seek a balance between explicit solutions and feasible designs. We build on the existing city, its inhabitants and qualities. That is how we at BURA work on a sustainable urban future.
Working on our living environment can be a challenging and complicated process. At BURA, we are convinced that the careful design of the process is a vital aspect of a successful spatial plan. Listening carefully to and working together with residents, entrepreneurs and public officials is important in developing an feasible idea that enjoys support. We often work in interactive workshops and make complex material easy to understand. In addition, we use the power of imagination to inspire parties and thus to work together on a sustainable living environment.
A sustainable urban future is a shared creation, which is why we work with clients and on assignments that contribute to that. For example, we take a critical look at locations that, in our view, cannot be developed in a future-proof way because of their siting, ecological values or soil conditions.
BURA works on various assignments in the Netherlands and other countries for both public and private organisations and housing cooperatives. In addition, we work at various scales, ranging from urban sites to neighbourhoods, urban districts and regions. Our office has expertise in the field of complex urban developments, healthy urbanization, productive milieus, new mobility, rich and layered places, resilient landscapes and equitable transitions.
BURA believes in the importance of doing business in a sustainable and social way. In principle, we travel by public transport, our lunch is vegetarian and vegan, we deal with materials in a conscious way, and we look after one another. BURA works with a multidisciplinary team of urban designers, architects and landscape architects from its base in the Loods 6 building in Amsterdam. BURA is a member of the Association of Dutch Urban Designers and Planners (BNSP). The office evolved out of ‘marco.broekman urbanism research architecture’, founded in 2014 by Marco Broekman. The office was renamed BURA in 2020 and is directed by Marco Broekman and Floris van der Zee.