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Guiding Architects, tour: Utrecht in a Nutshell (Fig. 1)
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Guiding Architects, tour: Utrecht in a Nutshell (Fig. 6)
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Utrecht in a Nutshell: Anneke Bokern (Thumbnail)
Anneke Bokern
Almere, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht

Anneke Bokern is an architecture journalist and writer based in Amsterdam. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, she studied History of Art and Architecture in Berlin. She moved to the Netherlands in 2000 and has been writing about architecture and urban development for German and international publications including Bauwelt, Baumeister, Topos and DETAIL ever since. She is also the author of several books on Dutch architecture.

Her passion for Dutch building culture led her to found architour in 2004 and co-found the Guiding Architects Network, making her one of the pioneers of professionally guided architecture tours in the Netherlands.

She develops programmes, curates tours, and leads groups in English, German, and Dutch, and continues to write and publish on Dutch architecture.

anneke-bokern.com

Utrecht in a Nutshell: Paul Vlok (Thumbnail)
Paul Vlok
Almere, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht

Paul is an experienced architect and lecturer. Born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, he graduated from TU Delft with an honours degree in Architecture in 1995.

In the years that followed, Paul worked for several Dutch architecture firms, contributing to projects in urban extensions and renewal areas. His work has consistently focused on housing and urban planning.

Since 2018, Paul has been a partner at architour. He develops and organises programmes and leads tours in English, Dutch and German. He also teaches at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture.

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Tour in Utrecht:
Utrecht in a Nutshell

Utrecht combines a beautiful, historic old town with new urban planning and architectural interventions. In recent years, a number of projects have been implemented that integrate new mobility concepts and green infrastructure into the urban space.

In the Middle Ages, the Rhine flowed through the city centre. Its riverbed was later converted into a canal, lined with merchants' houses with deep storage cellars, which still form a distinctive spatial structure along the water today. The cathedral with its free-standing bell tower marks the centre of the historic city, but within the old city structure there are also a variety of new architectural projects to discover – from small-scale interventions and innovative conversions to striking new buildings.

To the west of the old town lies Utrecht Centraal, the largest railway station in the Netherlands. In recent years, new bicycle bridges and garages, residential high-rises and office buildings have sprung up around this transport hub, creating a dynamic urban quarter. On this tour, you will experience the different historical layers of the city – from canal houses and new public buildings to the large-scale urban developments around the main railway station.

  • Duration: 3 hours

  • Transport: walking

  • Services: experienced local architect as guide

  • Languages: Dutch, English, German or French

  • Group size: max. 15 participants per guide

  • Domplein with bell tower – visit to the church and cloister

  • Oudegracht with merchant houses and cellars

  • Modern canal house Kromme Nieuwegracht (Sluijmer en van Leeuwen, 2002)

  • Public library in the former main post office (Rijnboutt / ZECC, 2020)

  • Catharijnesingel: Transformation from canal to car road to canal

  • TivoliVredenburg concert hall (Herman Hertzberger, 1979 / Jo Coenen, Thijs Asselbergs, NL Architects, 2014)

  • Utrecht Centraal(BenthemCrouwel, 2016)

  • City administration high-rise (MVSA, 2014) and Central Park office high-rise (GroupA, 2021)

  • Wonderwoods residential high-rise with ‘vertical forest’ (Stefano Boeri, 2024)

architour is led by Anneke Bokern and Paul Vlok. We currently have a team of 18 guides, based in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven.

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Guiding Architects, tour: Utrecht in a Nutshell (Fig. 7)

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Guiding Architects, tour: Utrecht in a Nutshell (Fig. 8)
Guiding Architects, tour: Utrecht in a Nutshell (Fig. 9)
Guiding Architects, tour: Utrecht in a Nutshell (Fig. 10)
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