schiemann weyers architects is a Rotterdam based office, settled in the former Van Nelle Factory. Otto Weyers and Jörn Schiemann are preferring to work in rather compact settings; due to this approach they are closely involved in all project processes and strategic design decisions.
Since the establishing of the practice in 2007, after finishing a long lasting and successful collaboration with DKV architects, they have become engaged with a wide range of architectural and urban design aspects on very different scales.
Apart from regular collaborations and partnerships in The Netherlands, the practice has well-established links with associated project support offices in Germany, Italy and Russia, providing the local knowledge and contributing to the cultural / interdisciplinary discourse.
For a substantial period, schiemann weyers cultivated a close relationship with urban planning departments and technical universities in different parts of Russia. It resulted in numerous advisory tasks and teaching jobs, involving diverse aspects of urban planning, cultural heritage and design approaches.
Developing strategies wherein the design is able to anticipate on changes of programme, differentiation or use is consciously integrated in the office's work and is one of its major topics of research. Design-strategies that are focusing on environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability have explicitly the precedence over pure technical solutions.
This approach goes together with a thorough analysis of the social, spatial, and historical context and results in very specific spatial concepts and implementation plans.