Social living and royal palaces: what are the responsibilities of the Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands? Interview with Floris Alkemade

The interview with the Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands about the story of this position, and Alkemade's strategy to stimulate the architectonic and the urban development quality of state projects.

In 2015, the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment offered Floris Alkemade the role of Chief Government Architect. A former student of Rem Koolhaas and classmate of Winy Maas, Floris took on responsibility for the quality of royal palace construction and began connecting architects with experts from other fields to tackle social and environmental challenges. Before that, Alkemade spent 18 years working in Koolhaas’s research studio AMO, after which he founded his own firm, FAA (Floris Alkemade Architect). In an interview with Strelka Mag at the Moscow Urban Forum, the Netherlands’ top architect spoke about his unusual role and how architectural thinking is evolving in the kingdom.

On 17 July at 8:30 p.m., the Chief Architect of the Netherlands gave a lecture in the courtyard of the Strelka Institute on how architecture can help solve social problems and how to rebuild cities to meet society’s changing needs.

An Old Role with New Responsibilities

The tradition of appointing a chief architect goes back over two hundred years. Originally known as the Royal Architect, the role involved overseeing royal palaces. Over time, responsibilities broadened, and the title became Chief Government Architect — a person responsible for the quality of all government buildings: ministries, prisons, courts, and royal residences. I’ve also added a new mission — to organise architectural competitions. I believe design has the power to address social issues, which is why we hold these competitions.

The core task of the Chief Architect is to oversee public buildings — palaces, ministries, courts, and prisons. Right now, Floris’s team is working on a renovation plan for the Binnenhof, where the Dutch parliament meets.

My job is to monitor the quality of buildings and advise the government on matters relating to architecture, urbanism, or landscape. The Chief Architect can offer advice even when the state hasn’t requested it. They can put forward recommendations to a ministry if they believe something needs to change.

Ultimately, it’s crucial that architects hold an independent position when it comes to assessing the quality of buildings.

That way, political and financial concerns don’t override quality — and architecture has a voice. That’s why a central government architect is essential — someone who can represent the perspective of architects.

My team includes around forty people — architects, monument and restoration experts, and consultants in the field of art (since 1–1.5% of government buildings are also artworks). We also have legal advisors. It’s a very multidisciplinary team, with expertise beyond just architecture.

Social Challenges and Sustainability

A current trend in the Netherlands is that architecture is increasingly influenced by external forces. One is the ageing population. Another is climate change — and here, we’re working to make housing and other buildings energy producers rather than consumers. Buildings need to be self-sufficient in terms of energy. This is a new area and a turning point for architecture.

In 2017, Floris launched the Who Cares competition, inviting healthcare, culture, and urban planning professionals to co-design modern, tech-driven neighbourhoods, residential complexes, and co-living spaces for Dutch cities.

We have highly urbanised areas growing rapidly, especially the major cities in the western Netherlands. But there are also regions where the population is declining, and they require a different development strategy. In the first case, we advocate for densifying cities. In the second — we focus on transforming existing buildings. Different regions require different approaches.

It’s vital that homes built in the coming years are located near transport hubs. That way, we can avoid traffic jams caused by suburban housing developments not served by public transport. We aim to make the location of new buildings as rational as possible.

In the Netherlands, city life is often less healthy than rural life — especially in poorer areas. We must focus on public health and improve conditions in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Key elements here are social housing, hospitals, and schools. Together, they can significantly improve people’s lives.

The Secret of Dutch Architects

I think it comes down to our love for a creative mindset — not just in architecture, but in how we live and how we view politics. In our culture, politicians never hold too much power. That helps society remain open. Creativity runs through all layers of our society, including our architectural education.

The Dutch are generally fond of experimentation and innovation. There was once a survey asking what kind of art people from different cultures valued most. Most chose traditional landscapes — Italian vistas, windmills, and the like. Only in the Netherlands did abstract painting come out on top. I think having an open mind creates a climate where architecture can truly thrive.

Right now, the most important skill for an architect is the ability to bring together knowledge from various disciplines.

As things grow more complex, people tend to focus narrowly on their own professional remit — but this often results in solutions that create problems for someone else.

I believe architects are capable of a much more integrated way of thinking — they can combine many different sources of knowledge. That, to me, is the future of architecture: the ability to draw insight from other fields by listening, learning, and involving experts from across disciplines. In this way, architects become not just designers, but holistic thinkers who can guide the entire process.

Crisis as a Catalyst

We recently went through an economic crisis, and many architects lost their jobs. A lot of them set up one- or two-person studios and developed a crisis-oriented project model. Now the economy is growing again, and some are returning to larger firms to work with developers on major projects. But there’s still a large freelance community — and I believe they will be the ones to bring new ideas and collaborations.

Economic crises can be fertile ground for development. When everything is easy and comfortable, people become complacent — there’s no real need to innovate. In a crisis, everyone focuses on innovation. That’s when new directions in architecture emerge.