Climate change. Who hasn’t seen the images of lonely polar bears balancing on the melting ice blocks? The warning signs have been blinking red for years: it’s time to get rid of oil, coal, and gas. No more fossil fuels. And then what? Emptiness. Most of us have no clue what a post-fossil future looks like. We simply can’t imagine […]

Fifty-five young artists have been invited to work in the tiny Tower Room of the impressive estate of VondelCS this year, initiated by the AVROTROS radio program called Opium. In silent seclusion, each artist worked on a project for one week. Curator Aynouk Tan and Studio KNOL were asked to bring together all the different works of the tower artists in an innovative exhibition. […]

Studio KNOL researches mass behaviour in artspace MU. Each year, the Dutch Design Week draws hundreds of thousands of people who crowd the town expecting to be surprised. But what moves them? Taking this question as a starting point, Studio KNOL creates an experimental exhibition together with art space MU that researches the (ir)rational behaviour of the masses. With Collective [Ir]Rationality, Studio KNOL […]

Imagining Urban Futures is a platform that was erected by Utrecht University. It promotes new ways of thinking for the way cities should be organised. What scenario’s can we create when we don’t use fossil fuel anymore? How can we use our imagination to challenge urban problems? Our studio worked on a series of way-finding installations during the conference of Urban Futures. The bright yellow […]

If you live in Amsterdam, you probably recognise the feeling of annoyance towards herds of tourists flocking on city center roads. You think to yourself: ‘Why do they all seem to walk up and down this ugly road between Central Station and Dam Square?! The city has so many other unique streets to explore…’ Exactly this topic challenged the city government […]

What is happiness and where can you find it these days? With an ever-growing ‘audience’ on social media, happiness seems to be sought outside of the self more and more. Can you actually feel better about yourself when others tell you that you are great? And does this type of happiness last long enough? This project questions what affirmation of the crowd can do to a […]

In-flight at home. In collaboration with Chris Bakker Studio KNOL designed the TROLLEYS closet for KLM, borrowing its function and style from the iconic airline aisle trolley. The cluster design was created to match the dynamic lifestyle of the urban nomad, using clever formations to accommodate more than a closet-load of belongings – ringing true to the old adage ‘fit […]

Exploring the future of the classroom. What will become of the classroom environment, now that (educational) technologies are advancing rapidly? For decades, the actual classroom setting has hardly changed, while possibilities have. Do we envision the educational environments to become more virtual and digital, or do we value tactility and learning through doing? On invitation by art space MU and […]

What do you design for a fashion event that will only come alive for two short days? This challenge is answered by temporary constructions and ‘suggestions’ of space. With these suggestions we mean (wooden) outlines in the form of frameworks, mirrored blocks that create optical illusions, popping colours and walls of curtain. The idea behind the spatial layout is simple: place […]

Stress – especially work related stress – is a major issue in our current society. According to Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 10% of the Dutch working population suffers from burnout symptoms. Yearly, 30.000 people are declared incapacitated by mental health problems, of whom 9000 (30%) due to stress and overload. Stress at work is an emerging problem, affecting people […]

In early April, studio KNOL opened Out of Office; a picture-perfect flexworking space in the center of Eindhoven. Barely two weeks later it was on its way to become the most popular working spot in town, but just when everyone was spreading the word things started to turn around… Introduced to social media and local press as the newest flexible […]

Illuminated by 10 overhead projectors, a transparent insect city takes shape. This miniature city houses different insect species. The buildings are connected by transparent ‘highways’ to motivate the insects to mix and move around. The overheads display silhouettes of the insect movements on all surrounding walls. Based on the book Metamorphosis by Kafka, visitors of this installation are on one hand looking […]

Far more than anything the city is a spot where we are continually in transition. Transit Mantra resounds the energy of our movements in the urban landscape. The knowledge of getting in transition now becomes a pleasant moment of reflection. A symbiosis of beautiful design and an improved sense of safety, that is how the installation ‘Transit Mantra’ is best described. Since […]

SKINNED is a growing collection of fragile mold-casts from places. Memorable parts of buildings and other ‘solid’ spaces can be copied endlessly into foldable skins. These thin fragments of spatial memory show specific details of the structure or material of the original place, but also capture dirt. Like skin transplantations they can be taken to other spaces where they get […]

With the use of Rope Access techniques, the most exclusive part of vacancy becomes accessible. An exploration of the forgotten space by using the vertical axis provided an unique penthouse perspective. High above a staggering amount of cubic meters of dusty air hides an oasis of light and calmness. There, right under the soft white skylights of the Van Gendthallen, grows […]

KNOL is part of Studio Vacant NL. They present Inside the White Whale; large white container bags that can be used to create temporary spaces in any location imaginable. These new flexible spaces can serve a wide variety of purposes, and hereby provide an ideal strategy to colonize vacant buildings or other temporarily available places. When the big bag is […]

Behind the old facade of a former diamond grinder in the center of Amsterdam, KNOL made a sparkling piece for the entrance hall of the newly designed building owned by CREA, the cultural organisation of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. On the back wall, wind turbines regulate the air of the hall. This subtle force is used to let the glossy transparent elements […]