Bureau Fraai, Amsterdam
Founded by Rikjan Scholten and Daniel Aw, Bureau Fraai aims to design and realize buildings in close collaboration with their clients and future users. The user experience is essential in their work and to achieve an optimal user satisfaction they think it’s important to involve the client as much as possible.
For Bureau Fraai a successful project is not only about the concept or perfect spatial composition of a design. It’s also about rightfully embedding the project within its urban, cultural and natural environment and the conception on the smallest scale of the technical detail.
As architects and product designers for their own design label Fraaiheid (together with Sjoerd Schaapveld) they have built up an extensive network and experience to be able to provide the client with the highest possible quality and the least concern on technical realization, budget and management of the project. From concept, to design and implementation. From product to building.
Rikjan Scholten, MSc
Rikjan (1977, the Netherlands) is co-founder of Bureau Fraai and design label Fraaiheid and board member of BNA kring Amsterdam Kennemerland. He got his Master’s Degree at the Faculty of Architecture in Delft Technical University. During his masters he did a research in New York (Pratt Institute) and graduated with a project researching in how far architecture on the borderline can influence the dynamic relation between action and behaviour.
From 2005-2009 he worked at renowned Dutch firms such as Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer, Personal Architecture and UNStudio. In 2009 he founded Studio Scholten. Alongside the projects in this office, he did assignments for offices as Architectenbureau Dick van Gameren, Venhoeven CS and UN Studio.
Daniel Aw, MArch
Daniel (1981, Singapore) is also co-founder of Bureau Fraai and design label Fraaiheid. He got his Master’s Degree at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture and a degree in Building Science and Constructional Engineering at the Tilburg Avans University of Applied Sciences.
For his graduation project Daniel anticipated on both the actual problematics of a hotel shortage in Amsterdam and the still absent physical connection over the IJ-river between the northern and southern part of Amsterdam. Therefor he designed an iconic bridge hotel where both locals and city visitors interact.
From 2006-2010 he worked for Claus & Kaan and NAT Architecten Amsterdam. In 2010 he founded DANIEL AW Architecture & Designstudio. Alongside the projects in this studio, he did assignments for renowned firms in and outside the Netherlands such as Studioninedots, NEXT architects and Ministry of Design. He occasionally works as a guest teacher at the IMC weekendschool for under privileged children.
Fraaiheid (www.fraaiheid.com)
In 2012 Daniel Aw, Rikjan Scholten and Sjoerd Schaapveld founded design label Fraaiheid as a platform for designing, developing and selling products and furniture. This successful collaboration made Daniel Aw and Rikjan Scholten decide to also join their forces in Bureau Fraai.
