A website that works for the firm
Architecture
Date
2026
URL
zzdp.nl
Client
ZZDP
ZZDP Architecten has shaped Amsterdam’s cityscape for 75 years. The website did not do that story justice.
ZZDP’s buildings are hard to miss in Amsterdam: the Rembrandt Tower, Holland Park, the Dreeftoren at the Zuidas. Those who knew this was ZZDP, knew. Those who did not, could not really find it online.
Hardly anyone clicked through to the projects on the old site. New assignments came through networks and relationships, while the website played little role in that process. What stood online made the firm feel smaller than it really is: an architecture practice with 75 years of history, dozens of realised projects and an approach that brings clients back.
Web strategy
The first question was not what the site should look like, but who would use it and why. ZZDP has three target audiences with three different needs: clients who want to know whether the firm fits their assignment, talent that wants to understand how ZZDP works, and a market that may not know ZZDP yet, but does know the buildings.
That question defines the page choices. Projects take the lead: not as an archive, but as an argument. About shows the people and history that give clients confidence. Stories keeps the site alive without the firm having to manually maintain every update. Careers gives talent its own clear entry point.
The menu as a recognisable feature
The navigation is designed as a series of tabs, inspired by a bookmark. It is the fixed anchor of the site, visible on every page, always in the same place.
The bookmark refers to ZZDP’s archive and history without having to explain it. Each tab has its own colour, so visitors immediately know where they are.
Idea, process, impact
Each project follows the same structure: what was the idea, how was it built, and what is the impact. This makes the portfolio searchable and comparable, without making every project feel the same.
Colour-coded tags connect type, such as New Build, Transformation and Historic, and location, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, to recognisable visual categories. Projects without a full case also have a place, in a more compact list view.
Not what we do, but why it matters
The page opens with the claim that summarises ZZDP’s position: “With 75 years of building we know what lasts.”
Four pillars define the approach: Partners in design, Entrepreneurial spirit, Intentional design, Vision on craftsmanship. A historical timeline shows projects from 1934 to today. The people behind the buildings are given a face.
Web development
The site is live. The first stories have been published. The projects are presented the way they should be: as work to be proud of, not as an archive to search through.
Visibility
ZZDP now has a digital presentation that reflects the scale and quality of the firm.
Stories
LinkedIn posts that used to disappear in a timeline now live on as in-depth stories on the site.
Portfolio
Every project has its own place, including projects without a fully developed case.
