Committed to the betterment of our living environments:
making happier, biodiverse and resilient communities that afford opportunity and diversity to all residents.
Nature inclusive design
Biodiversity is essential to the health and liveability of our environments. I endeavour to bring nature inclusive design as basis to all projects as far as possible.
Completed with KuiperCompagnons
Participatory design
Enkundleni is a project initiated by the transformation committee at Somerset College. The committee, a group of students and teachers, aimed to create a space of Remembrance that would counter the symbolism of the bell tower (associated with slavery on Cape farms). I facilitated several workshops and helped give form to their ideas and intentions. Inspired by the enkundleni a ritual decision-making space in Xhosa culture, we created an intimate seating arrangement in the landscape. Completed in 2022.
LAND MET EEN PLAN
Research into the of the pressures facing the Netherlands in the coming century. The project has been part of a cooperative initiative with diverse stakeholders such as Wageningen University, Deltares, in Rethinking the delta as is aimed at stimulating debate over the coming century. The work has been published in Omarm de Chaos, various news articles in the Netherlands a well as being exhibited in the Rotterdam Biennale.
Completed with KuiperCompagnons
As designers we have a duty of care
design is a ubiquitous tool, one we should wield deliberately and carefully.
Waterfronts
Landscape & city
De Nieuwe Kern, winner of the ARC 2020 prize for urban design, a multi stakeholder development bringing 4 000 homes to Amsterdam the Netherlands. This new neighbourhood creates a connection to the landscape by creating a large park, carving through diverse neighbourhoods.
Completed with West8
Historic regeneration and transformation
Westerwal in Oudewater, historically was part of the city defensive structure in the 1800s, however much of this history had been destroyed with the removal of defensive walls and water structure to be replaced by a century of industry. The project harkens back to the layered characteristic of the location, re-purposing old buildings, redefining the defensive structure and bringing back this historic site to the old city core. Creating a new accessible neighbourhood on the water.
Completed with West8
Urban Regeneration
Strijp S phase 4 // Transformation of the Phillips industrial precinct into a mixed used urban precinct.
Eindhoven | COMPLETED AT WEST8
Ir. Michael de Beer
I am an urban designer and architect. My focus is on helping clients realise projects they can be proud of. I provide strategic advice and design-led solutions in the field of architecture and urban design. This includes identifying projects, providing urban design advice, designs and guidelines, designing public spaces and architecture. My broad experience as a multidisciplinary designer, qualified architect and urban planner has come from working on diverse projects in different locations such as the Netherlands, South Africa, the United States and Singapore. I believe in human-centred design that aims to create high-quality, resilient and liveable environments for the future. I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals.
