Hans Kodde

An architect with a soul, a signature and a quiet kind of boldness

Climb the stairs of the historic townhouse along the Amsterdam canals where Kodde Architects resides and you feel it instantly, this is not an ordinary architecture studio. The hush of the water outside, the creak of old floors, the soft northern light across sketches and models, it feels warm and human. Exactly like Hans’s work.

Hans’ story began in the early nineties at the Academy of Architecture in Delft. Young, curious, always sketching, never quite done thinking. In 1996 he founded Kodde Architects with no grand declarations or sharp-edged ambition, simply the intention to create things that feel right.

A trusted creative partner for Baerz & Co luxury homebuyers

Many people who purchase a home through Baerz & Co eventually make their way to Hans. Some arrive uncertain, others full of elaborate dreams. Hans listens, and that may well be his greatest gift. He hears not only what clients say, but what they truly mean, the hesitations beneath their words and the visions they haven’t yet expressed.

He lifts those ideas gently, shapes them, and returns them as something timeless. Clients tend to say the same thing: "He understood us immediately. The process was so pleasant. And the result feels as if it was always meant to be."

Where history and innovation meet in quiet harmony

Renovations or new builds, Hans moves effortlessly between the two. He has a deep affection for heritage and an equal drive for innovation. To him, they are not opposites but dance partners.

He often says: "If you let old and new support each other, you create a kind of timeless calm. A home that breathes."

His signature

Glass that draws in light like water between fingertips, steel that defines space without closing it off, wood that keeps the silence warm.

His minimalism is not cold but clear, not empty but essential. His work creates space, not just to live but to breathe and to think.

Human-centred by instinct

Hans often explains that only ten percent of architecture is actual designing. The rest is conversation, intuition, coordination and the continuous dialogue between people and ideas. Collaboration is not a necessity for him, it is the heart of the craft.

In a world where design becomes more human-centred every day, Hans believes architecture must honour dignity just as much as functionality. He says: "Our surroundings tell us who we are. The rooms we live in, the places we learn, the systems we watch our parents navigate, they shape our identity. We become a reflection of the spaces that cradle us."

Spend even a short time working with Hans and it becomes clear, he does not just design houses. He designs places where people quietly find their way home.