LAUREATE 40 UNDER 40

A Laureate Among Europe’s 40 Most Promising Designers of 2020–2021. Among the European architects, industrial designers and landscape architects featured on the list, Robbert Jan is the only urban designer to have been selected. This is a wonderful distinction that we at ECHO are particularly proud of.

The jury praises his talent for shaping the near future, with a direct impact on future places and cities around the world. The Laureate distinction was awarded by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

The exhibition 40 Young European Architects with New Visions is now open to visitors at the European Centre Athens, Mitropoleos 74, Athens, until 10 January.

“For me, the city of the future is a place to which people feel emotionally connected, a place that draws them in. A place where the energy of the past comes back to life. Creating multiple worlds on top of one another, with connection as the common thread: connecting people to places and places to people. Green and sustainable. For a better future filled with hope,” says Robbert Jan.

Robbert Jan is the founder and lead designer of ECHO Urban Design and a design lecturer at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Our clients and colleagues, as well as students and fellow lecturers, describe him as someone who dares to establish and communicate a clear vision.

His work is recognised for its soul and emotional depth. He brings existing places to life by creating connections between people, nature and society. Our clients recognise his distinctive signature style. He transforms complex ideas into clear, coherent and accessible concepts. Through his hand-drawn sketches, Robbert Jan brings an idea fully to life.

Shaping and inspiring the future are themes that Robbert Jan explores every day. One of his current projects is the development of a new urban design guide: a practical and inspiring book about new urban design. The book explains the critical success factors behind the development of new areas and helps fellow professionals take a systematic approach to shaping the present, the future, the year ahead and perhaps even the next century.

The jury selects these talents for their visionary thinking and their ability to influence how we perceive buildings and places around the world. Robbert Jan was selected for his distinctive approach to concept, aesthetics, innovation and sustainability. A gifted mind that will shape the future, according to the jury.

An overview of all the outstanding architectural projects can be found in the book Forty Under Forty, available to order via this link.