Specialist Operations is an Amsterdam based contemporary architecture, urbanism, and research firm. It was founded with the objective to set new relationships between architecture and contemporary culture.
Specialist Operations pursues to address the full complexities of the city and today’s society and integrate architectural design and (strategic) processes. Through a thorough understanding of relationship between spatial, economic, and cultural parameters combined with design intelligence projects materialize. This approach celebrates the everyday ‘live’ realm of the city and forms continuous source of inspiration.
Since its foundation in 2006 Specialist Operations has engaged in various cross-disciplinary projects ranging from the architectural to the urban scale, as well as national planning projects.
Specialist Operations was founded by Jan Willem Petersen. He is an architect and researcher based in Amsterdam and London. He is a graduate of the Architectural Association School of Architecture (Hons) in 2005, and previously the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. He has published, taught and been visiting critic at several universities and colleges across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He remains committed to the AA school as quest tutor of Diploma Unit 10.