Niels was born and bred in Amsterdam. After a visit with his mother to the Beurs van Berlage to see a graduation exhibition by students of the Design Academy in Eindhoven, his fascination for structures and their creation acquired a clear direction. After secondary school he went to the TU Delft, where he studied industrial design.
His graduation project brought together design and technology: the control panel of a new type of loading system for a garbage truck. He spent some time working for a company that makes such vehicles, but the design element was rather lacking, so he moved to ipv Delft for several years, a design bureau that specializes in structures for public space. There he concentrated on bridges, of all types, sizes and materials.
When he was ready to begin a new chapter, he discovered ZJA, where he came upon several former colleagues from ipv Delft. What suits him so well is the ZJA mentality, in which construction techniques and design go hand in hand and are valued equally.
In his free time, Niels is above all a sportsman. Ever since school, he’s to be found twice a week in a skiff on the Amstel, whatever the weather. On Sundays he is part of a team of four or eight rowers. He recently rediscovered tennis. He’s also famous for his green fingers, in the sense that he excels at caring for cape hollyhocks.