What if buildings could adapt over time?
A symposium exploring a new generation of buildings that grow and evolve with us.
Nieuwe Instituut
Rotterdam, NL
Thursday,
January 22nd 2026
09:00 – 17:00
Lukas Kauer
Founder of Fragile and co-initiator of Panels by Knauf, Lukas Kauer leads research into adaptable housing, combining strategic design and spatial storytelling. He authored the Adaptable Home Survey and drives projects that enable more flexible, circular living systems for the future.
Paco Bunnik
Senior Urban Planner at the City of Amsterdam, Paco Bunnik is recognized for his contributions to the Zuidas business district and the transformation of Amsterdam's Southeast. He specialises in strategic planning, infrastructure, and adaptive urban development in complex, multi-stakeholder contexts.
Robert Schmidt III
Professor of Architectural Design at Loughborough University and a pioneer in adaptive architecture, Robert Schmidt III focuses on building flexibility, open systems, and future-proof design. His research explores how architectural adaptability can be embedded in policy, process, and spatial thinking.
Tom Frantzen
Tom Frantzen is an architect and professor at TU Eindhoven, where he co-leads the Open Architecture research unit. His work bridges academic inquiry and architectural practice, advocating for buildings as open, layered systems that enable long-term adaptability, sustainability, and user-driven transformation.
Stephen Kendall
Stephen Kendall, PhD (MIT '90), is Professor Emeritus and co-founder of the Council on Open Building. A global authority on open building theory, he advocates for a shift from static architecture to systems that support infill, transformation, and long-term housing value.
Marc Koehler
Marc Koehler is founder of MKA, Superlofts and Superwood, and co-founder of Openbuilding.co and MaMa Pioneers. His practice focuses on modular, user-driven housing that prioritises adaptability, community, and architectural resilience across different life stages and ownership models.
Steven Paynter
Principal and Global Practice Area Leader at Gensler, Steven Paynter develops strategic real estate frameworks that support adaptability, reuse, and resilience. His work helps clients align spatial design with long-term portfolio performance through digital tools and systems-based thinking.
Mattijs Kaak
Founding Partner at Ditt Officemakers, Mattijs Kaak leads the commercial and creative direction of one of the Netherlands' top design & build firms. With a background in hospitality, he develops hybrid workplace concepts like Hoff that blend comfort, flexibility, and wellbeing. Ditt is a certified B Corp and Studio Alliance member.
Robert Thiemann
Founder of BETTERNESS and co-founder of FRAME magazine, Robert Thiemann is a strategic design consultant and moderator. He curates cross-disciplinary conversations and leads initiatives at the intersection of adaptability, sustainability, and transformative spatial design — including the Adaptable Building Club and Conference.
Venue
The ABC takes place at Nieuwe Instituut on January 22, 2025, the Netherlands' national museum for architecture, design and digital culture, serving as a hub for forward-thinking experimentation in the built environment.
Tickets
We offer regular and discounted passes for the conference, allowing everyone to join and participate.
Partners
The conference is initiated by a coalition of like-minded industry partners including Knauf, Hettich, and Tesa – all sharing the desire to change how we design buildings today.
Media Partner
DAAily platforms: Designboom | Architonic | ArchDaily
Conference
The Adaptable Building Conference is a one-day symposium bringing together forward-thinking voices from within and beyond the real estate sector – from regulations, financing and insurance to design, construction and operations.
Club
The conference is part of the soon-to-be-launched Adaptable Building Club – a research initiative founded by Knauf in partnership with TU Eindhoven. Its mission is to explore, design and enable new blueprints for buildings that adapt to people’s changing needs, while preserving materials and maintaining long-term real estate value.
ABC