Bjarne Mastenbroek has been practicing architecture in the Netherlands and abroad for over 20 years. Since founding SeARCH in 2002, he has established a practice characterised by a continuous research of the most intimate meaning of sites in relation to architec¬ture. Mastenbroek was chairman of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects from 2010-2011. He takes part as jury member in prestigious competitions and has given talks around the world. Mastenbroek was ‘Dutch Architect of the Year’ in 2009. Mastenbroek, in collaboration with Dick van Gameren, is the master planner of the IJDock, a prestigious project realised in the waterfront in the centre of Amsterdam. On a newly created island, apartment building, hotel, new palace of justice and a marina are completed after a the 20 year long process of redeveloping the IJ-region. The Dutch Embassy in Addis Ababa, winner of the Aga Khan award and Villa Vals in Switzerland on which he collaborated with CMA has won among others, the award for sustainability from the Chicago Athenaeum and the Wallpaper Design Award - both clear examples of how Mastenbroek’s architecture is designed to exist in nature without dominating it. The Isbjerget apartment buildings has won the MIPIM award 2013 (best residential building) and is another example of pioneering urbanism and architecture in an area in transition. Among the most recent projects is the energy neutral Hotel Jakarta, built with luxury wooden prefab units, in the centre of Amsterdam, and recently awarded with the WAF award for best hotel in the world. Mastenbroek has taught at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam, TU Delft, the International University of Catalonia and the University of Auckland.