Overzee’s first projects were direct commissions for houses, renovations and transformations. Most of them got built, allowing us to experiment with tools outside our discipline, designing furniture, joining building teams, and even devising self-sufficient building systems. Incorporating gardens into our designs paved the way for public spaces and landscapes, culminating in a public park commission.

This early project diversity was instrumental in shaping our open, adaptive approach to designing and engineering a building. Our scope of work has now grown into a diverse portfolio of projects spread throughout Europe, including a listening bar, a cooling garden, an industrial kitchen, and two stone houses.

Instead of fixed formal notions, our approach emphasizes the quality of process and dialogue, enabling the conditions in which meaningful and long-lasting designs can naturally emerge. We explore the distinct potential within each project, closely collaborating with clients to harmonise their ambitions with the site requirements.

Certain themes recur: we leverage the site’s climate for natural heating, cooling, and ventilation; we prioritise naturally sourced materials that withstand the test of time and blend with its surroundings; we re-use materials when it is sensible to do so. Our goal is to create healthy, timeless buildings that enhance user experience while minimizing emissions and resource depletion.

We craft models and mock-ups to bring the building site as close as possible to the design process. During construction, we work closely with all parties to navigate uncertainties and seize opportunities. From the very beginning, we deploy BIM tools (Building Information Modelling) to give our clients and partners real-time insight into the project’s parameters through a digital twin of the building and its components.

Kees Fritschy obtained his master’s degree in architecture from the TU Delft (cum laude) and studied at The University of Melbourne before. He gained practical experience in the offices of Cepezed in Delft and Studio Maarten van Kesteren in Den Haag. Kees works as a multidisciplinary creative. Currently, he investigates architectural qualities through the medium of painting.

Hellmer Rahms studied architecture at the TU Munich and the University of Bath before obtaining a MSc at the TU Delft (cum laude), his graduation project being nominated for the national Archiprix NL. He has worked internationally on a wide variety of projects in the offices of David Chipperfield, HENN Architekten and Monadnock, overseeing the housing projects in Utrecht and leading the projects in Germany for the latter.

Dutch Architects Registration Bureau:

Hellmer Rahms 1.230222.003
Kees Fritschy 1.230703.006

2024. Utzon Foundation grant and residency to research Km0 ‘Kilometre-zero’ architecture in the Balearic Islands.

2024. Hellmer teaches the studio ‘De architectuur van modulaire houtbouw’ together with Arnoud Seegers and Tjerk de Boer.

2023. Kees and Hellmer taught in the studio ‘Portiekflats Kralingen’ together with Frederik Pöll and Kevin Veenhuizen.

2024. Kees is building technology tutor in the MSc1 studio ‘Heritage & Architecture: Revitalising Heritage’