In memoriam Jandirk Hoekstra

On Thursday, February 1st, news reached us that our colleague and former director Jandirk Hoekstra had passed away completely unexpectedly that day. We are stunned and in deep mourning. Jandirk was our great connector, both in our office and in countless projects in the country and abroad. Always navigating between people and opinions in search of spatial quality and a “plan that works”. No one knew better than him that working on landscape quality is a joint and cultural task, that can only become successful through close teamwork. He was studio master at heart.

Jandirk was active as leader of Atelier Overijssel, the Workshop South-West Delta and the Atelier Kustkwaliteit, and he collaborated on the “Metropolitan Coastal Landscape 2100” in Belgium. He was also workshop leader of the Projectatelier Groningen, which explored the spatial and economic perspective of energy transition in this province. From 2012 to 2017, he was Provincial Advisor on Spatial Quality for North Holland.

As part of the Leeuwarden European Capital of Culture 2018 programme, he had an important role in the Places of Hope exhibition and the linked Veenatelier. This outlined a hopeful perspective for agriculture, water, recreation and nature in the Frisian Peatland area.

In each atelier, Jandirk collaborated with other – often young – designers, whom he thereby granted a stage. He used design to bring multidisciplinary teams of mostly non-designers into conversation with each other, and to bridge contradictions. He felt it was important for everyone to feel safe, allowing them to think and talk outside the box. This is the only way to create a shared and innovative future perspective.

Jandirk Hoekstra was the H of H+N+S as director from 1999 to 2017. An H that stood firmly on its feet and also brought much-needed professionalisation to the business leadership of our agency. Jandirk drew from two great sources of inspiration: music and landscape architecture. He literally and figuratively brought the music into our agency with his enthusiasm and positive energy.

We will not be the only ones who will miss him. Jandirk was a leading figure on many fronts of the profession. From chairman of the jury for the European Yearbook of Landscape Architecture to board member of the Landscape Triennial Foundation “Dynamic Wadden Delta” that ran through 2023. Jandirk was intendant of the first edition of the Landscape Triennial in Apeldoorn in 2008. He was also active as a guest lecturer at, among others, the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture and a member of ARCAM’s Programme Council.

In recent years, Jandirk used his special skills mainly for the IJ-Team and the quality team Spoorzone Tilburg. He was also inextricably linked to our office until last week, as a person, friend, coach and colleague.

A few years ago, Jandirk and Sabine moved into a Stolp farmhouse on the West-Frisian Omringdijk, overlooking the polder landscape he loved so much. His sudden death leaves a void that is hard to comprehend.

H+N+S Landscape architects

Amersfoort, 7 February 2024