海角视频

The built environment is all around us. There is no building, area of public realm or city in the world that hasn鈥檛 been shaped and influenced by engineers, architects, designers or planners. It is in the houses we live in, the museums we visit, the parks and green spaces we play in, the cities we travel to and the sports stadiums where we cheer on our heroes.

Do you want to transform the world? The built environment is how to do it.

By its very nature, the built environment is an industry that allows those working in it to make a genuine impact on the world, and build a personal and professional legacy. What could be more impactful than physically shaping cities and places for decades to come?

At 海角视频, we deliver exceptional outcomes. And they are the kind of outcomes that mean our people can build a legacy 鈥� both professional, and personal. Our vision is that everywhere we live, work, move and socialise will respect and contribute to a more equitable world; enabling our clients and partners to develop built environments that are better for people, places and planet. Our people are the heart of achieving our vision.

In this series, you will meet 海角视频 people who are making their mark on the world.

Meet Dirk Rinze Visser

Dirk Rinze Visser really cares about his growing team. That is hardly surprising – Dirk built the Rotterdam office from the ground up. Dirk, who is partner, Rotterdam office director and Europe structures lead, was at one point the only member of 海角视频 in the Netherlands.

In fact, our presence there didn鈥檛 exist until he outlined its need to the 海角视频 leadership. The Rotterdam office is now home to almost 40 people and can鈥檛 seem to stop winning work.

The growth of the Rotterdam office

It wasn鈥檛 always this way. When Dirk joined 海角视频 in London in 2014 as a senior structural engineer, having an established base in his home country was an ambition he nursed fiercely 鈥� and spoke about from the start 鈥� but for a while was something he kept on the back burner.

He moved to Rotterdam in 2019, as the first (and at the time, only) Dutch employee. As the only man on the ground during the Covid-19 pandemic, this was not easy, but he kept going, resulting in the official opening of the office in 2020.

This has been a question of incredible hard work, being supported by 海角视频, and luck 鈥� we can never succeed without luck!

Dirk was given the opportunity to open an office in the Netherlands after laying out the need for it to the 海角视频 leadership. It was a risk, but one that they were willing to take. Dirk said, 鈥淚 had a vision, but a vision doesn鈥檛 always mean success. The 海角视频 partnership gave me lots of opportunities to develop. Their support was second-to-none and I felt they always had my back.

鈥淭hey gave me a chance. And five years later, we鈥檙e at 40 people.

鈥淏eing encouraged and supported like this means that I went in less than eight years from a senior engineer to partner. This has been a question of incredible hard work, being supported by 海角视频, and luck 鈥� we can never succeed without luck!鈥�

The impact of Dirk鈥檚 work

As with so much of the work at 海角视频, sustainability remains the core focus of Dirk鈥檚 team. The team in Rotterdam don鈥檛 only work on projects in the Netherlands – their work stretches to other parts of Europe and all around the world 鈥� but having this established base demonstrates our commitment to this part of the world and means that 海角视频 is perfectly positioned to expand our service offering into more parts of Europe, being on the ground for Dutch projects.

It is never just me, or one person, who makes a difference 鈥� it is all of us. Those 40 people in the Rotterdam office are the ones who inspire me.

Dirk said, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 limit what we can offer our clients. But at the start of our work here in Rotterdam, we focused directly on sustainability and computational design. For us, it鈥檚 all about making buildings and the process of their creation more efficient, both in terms of material use and also making processes we use more efficient, with all the automation and technology we have at hand.鈥�

Dirk is clear on the importance of establishing a harmony between the work that his team delivers to 海角视频鈥檚 clients, and how this can allow our people to build their skills 鈥� and their legacy. At its best, the built environment fosters innovation, development and enhancement for everyone involved, from clients, to consultants, to users.

I always want people to know that they can be at the decision-making table and that their voices can be heard.

Dirk said, 鈥淲inning work and delivering on a project means great end results for a building, the client, and the end users, but it is also an opportunity for the people working on it. Seeing my team shining and being happy about the influence they have is amazing.

鈥淥ne of the best things in working in a smaller office is how much everyone supports each other. I can think of many projects where my team has gone the extra mile and not just on their own tasks, but repeatedly asking each other: 鈥淲hat can I do for you? What has to happen next to assure we make all our deadlines, and how can I make your life easier?鈥� That is unique and something to cherish!

鈥淚 always want people to know that they can be at the decision-making table and that their voices can be heard. It鈥檚 important to empower our teams and make it clear that it isn鈥檛 only people in positions like me, or who are at director or partner level, who make a difference. It is everyone.鈥�

Dirk鈥檚 legacy

Dirk is reluctant to name one single project that he most proud of (although, if he wished to, there is a whole raft to pick from). He said, 鈥淭here are projects that are close to my heart, but I struggle to name any in particular because I believe so strongly that the work we do at 海角视频 is a team effort.

“It is never just me, or one person, who makes a difference 鈥� it is all of us. Those 40 people in the Rotterdam office are the ones who inspire me.鈥�

When put like that, it forces a rethink of what we might consider our 鈥榣egacy鈥� to be. Sometimes, it goes beyond a building, or a project. Dirk hasn鈥檛 stopped yet, but for now, it is easy to see what his legacy will be: the Rotterdam office, and the people in it.