Joyce Bakker

“My fascination with architecture stems from the conviction that design must be both sustainable and socially meaningful. Central to this are the sharing of space, materials, and knowledge, as well as the strengthening of collective values. My ambition is to contribute to a climate-positive future through circular and biobased architecture, by deploying strategies such as utilizing residual flows, reusing materials, and regenerating natural systems to reduce the ecological impact of the construction sector. With my background in interior and architecture, I have worked on a variety of scales and developed a strong affinity for detail and design. This experience has not only given me an analytical perspective but also taught me how people can use architecture as an instrument to meet each other, experience spaces, and connect with their environment.”

Since 2022, Joyce has been working as a Junior Architect in training at Paul de Ruiter Architects while pursuing her Master’s in Architecture at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam. Her academic work focuses on circular design strategies, the relationship between water and social processes in the city, and sound as a shared urban commons. During a research period in São Paulo, she further explored the materiality of architecture and the role of local rituals and communities in shaping sustainable building practices. At Paul de Ruiter Architects, Joyce is involved in a wide range of projects, from sustainable villas to large-scale transformations. An example of this is Coolsingel 93 in Rotterdam, a monumental bank building that is being transformed into a Paris Proof and BREEAM-Excellent office tower, where she contributed to the design and research into the historical layers, in order to add a new layer of time that both strengthens the heritage and makes the building future-proof.