Studio Locus is a multidisciplinary design studio collaborating with public and cultural institutions, designers, and developers. With over 20 years of experience, we support the development and delivery of policies, projects, and processes that enhance user well-being and contribute to the creation of just, inclusive cities.
Guided by people, policy, and professional expertise, we work at the intersection of concept development, co-creation, and project delivery. Using historical and spatial research, context analysis, and participatory processes, we translate heritage values and community perspectives into actionable design decisions.
From concept to implementation, we guide complex projects and create interventions, long-term strategies, and public events that reveal the architectural and urban layers, and the stories, that make each place unique.
Een tentoonstelling over iets wat vaak vanzelfsprekend lijkt, maar dat nooit is geweest: zorg.
In Amsterdam-Noord laten we zien hoe zorg ontstaat uit noodzaak en betrokkenheid, van informele netwerken tot professionele structuren, en hoe die zorg verweven is met de plekken waar we wonen, werken en samenleven.
What would the community center of the future look like if new attention were paid to its architecture? What influence does architecture have on the image of the community center?
Powder soft building blocks constrast with a natural and warm oak kitchen in this modern family penthouse.
What would the community center of the future look like if new attention were paid to its architecture? What influence does the architecture have on the image of the community center?
As the narrative of home becomes increasingly challenged by the pressures of time and money, we want to recall and expose the importance of story, identity and emotion in modern housing design.
What would the community center of the future look like if new attention were paid to its architecture? What influence does the architecture have on the image of the community center?
Working together with Museum Amsterdam Noord, programmer Laura van Roemburg and with the support of the Architekten Cie., this exhibition in 2023 celebrated the 55-year existence of the housing project Plan van Gool in Amsterdam Noord.
A simple and sophisticated kitchen design on the Vondelkerkstrat in Amsterdam that maximizes light and creates a social gathering space, made by local craftsmen and using sustainable materials.
What would the community center of the future look like if new attention were paid to its architecture? What influence does the architecture have on the image of the community center?
The installation concept for the Philharmonie was developed together with the Philharmonie in Haarlem and van Dongen-Koschuch | Architects and Planners, and launched on the 14th of April 2015. The project continued for four consecutive years.
A renovation design planning for the future; optimising the functionality of the home, and enabling it to house multiple generations.
Zorgen in Noord: Bijzondere zorgverhalen uit Amsterdam Noord door de jaren heen.
Museum Amsterdam Noord opent in het voormalige badhuis van de Vogelbuurt de nieuwe tentoonstelling “Zorgen in Noord”. Een plek die ooit stond voor zelfzorg en preventieve zorg, vertelt nu het verhaal van hoe Noord zorg organiseert. vroeger én nu.
Hoe zorgen we tegenwoordig voor elkaar? Hoe vernieuwt Noord de zorg, en hoe blijven we koploper voor de zorg van de toekomst? “Zorgen doen we samen” maakt zichtbaar hoe zorg door de aderen van het stadsdeel en haar bewoners stroomt. Niet langer iets dat zich achter de schermen afspeelt, maar een onderdeel van ons dagelijks leven dat we samen vormgeven.
Much of our work explores how cultural and social value can be (re)embedded in the built environment. This includes curating an upcoming exhibition and public debate on systems of care and health in Amsterdam Noord (Museum Amsterdam Noord, April), as well as advising on renovation and transformation projects that raise broader questions about housing, care, and community resilience.
One such case is a 1960s senior housing block on the Beethovenstraat in Amsterdam Zuid. We were asked to facilitate a third renovation within the building: the transformation of a former concierge apartment into a sellable dwelling to support future maintenance costs for the VvE. While financially logical, this proposal raised a more strategic question: what spatial and social infrastructure is lost when care-related spaces are monetised, rather than reimagined?
🎉 Opening: Friday, 3 October at 18:00
Step into “Between Tradition and Transformation” – an exhibition from Studio Locus that traces the past, present, and future of Amsterdam Noord’s community centres. From historic social experiments to vibrant hubs of creativity, connection, and local ownership, discover how these spaces shape neighbourhood life.
🌟 Get hands-on with the interactive collective artwork “Tiles of Noord”, made from clay from twenty different neighbourhoods in Amsterdam Noord —a tangible architectural symbol of community, creativity, and shared stories.
📅 The exhibition runs from Saturday, 4 October 2025 to 5 April 2026. Stay tuned for an exciting line-up of public activities and events during the exhibition. Come, discover, create, and connect!
It’s been a busy start to the year. And a busy first two years of Studio Locus. We are having so much fun and are so grateful to all our fabulous clients and for the challenging assignments. Thoroughly looking forward to sharing some completed project photos at the end of 2025!
Speaker @
Symposium “Community Hubs of the Future”
Pollokshaws Community Hub, Glasgow
What if the key to resilient, just cities isn’t large-scale innovation — but small, local investments that ripple outward, addressing multiple urban challenges at once?
From concept to completion, we guide renovation projects every step of the way—starting with spatial design and permits, through engineering, working drawings, and even bespoke furniture design.
By offering a full-service approach, we ensure seamless transitions, allowing for necessary adjustments, extra detailing, and unexpected interventions without hassle. The result? A high-performing construction with meticulous detailing—because true sustainability is built on quality. 🌿🏗️
It’s a cold winter morning and work has begun on site in Vinkeveen. The house is wrapped in scaffolding. The coming weeks it will be stripped to its bare bones. The roof will be removed, inner walls removed construction adjusted and improved for its modern use.
Studio Locus has moved to Obiplein in the East of Amsterdam. Starting a new chapter, we’ll share a multidisciplinary space with landscape architects Damen Chataignier, architect Anna Zan, Landscape Choreographies and Equivalent Architects. Together we also share the first floor of this monumental former elementary school building with Keizer Koopmans and Studio Spacious.
Een stad in verandering: Vrouwen van Nieuw-West “Samenhorigheid”
Join us friday the 18th of October for an event together with one of the founding mothers of the Matrix Feminist Architectural Co-operative (1980–1996): Fran Bradshaw. We will talk with Fran about the Matrix history of advancing social justice and abolishing hierarchies in the workplace, on the building site and in the client meeting. The talk will be the kick-off of our serie of four workshops "A City in Change: Women of Nieuw West". Lorna Gibson from Studio Locus shall present the studios research on civic centres in Amsterdam. And discuss themes of solidarity, collectivity and community.
This project aspires to apply the strategies and tactics of the Matrix to present day Amsterdam Nieuw-West. "City in Change: Women of Nieuw West" uses heritage as an inspiration to construct and present a reinterpretation and reformulation of local history.
On Thursday, October 10, the TU Delft is organizing a kick-off event for Transitional Identities at community center Het Zwanenmeer in Amsterdam Noord. Lorna Gibson from Studio Locus shall be talking alongside Thijs van Spaandonk from the Cloud Collection, the district chairperson Esther Lagendijk, and TU Delft tutors and architects, Christopher de Vries and Lindwine Spoormans.
We zijn verheugd om samen te werken met het fantastische team van de Kazerne in Reigersbos en de gemeente Amsterdam aan een Manifest en ontwerp spelregels voor een nieuw en veerkrachtig Cultureel Gemeenschapscentrum in de zuidoostelijke buitenwijk van Amsterdam.
The “Ons Huis: de Toekomst van het Buurthuis” exhibition and workshop dates have been released
The past year, we have delved into the history and development of "community centers" in Amsterdam, particularly in Amsterdam Noord. We’ve spoken with users, managers, and others about what a "community center" is and what it could become in the future.
Now, we are beginning to design the exhibition where we will share and further discuss these findings. For example, we’re exploring the differences between a community center, neighborhood room, neighborhood house, creative hub, social hub, community building, and mini-economy.
“de toekomst van het buurthuis formulier”. Tell us about your buurthuis or buurthuis wishes here.
Are you interested? Send us your portfolio and cv, we’re always looking for talented new people to strengthen our team.
Modern Heritage in the Making.
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Private space.
Monuments and modern homes. Every space has a story to tell. We aspire to preserve and expose a buildings existing narrative, whilst preparing it for the future needs of the user.
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Social Domain.
We conduct research together with communities, councils and other social organisations, on how to create more sustainable living environments.
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Building works.
Feasability studies and sketch designs to detailed working drawings. Working closely together with our clients to realise all scales of projects. See what’s under construction.