The practice explores smart, responsible ways of building spaces and communities around the world, using innovation as an instrument with purpose. In order to do so, MKA develops future ready concepts, systems and tools to pioneer new forms of urban communities that enable new possibilities for living, working, learning and growing. MKA designs speak to the senses, bridging together opposites to create new beauty with timeless warmth, and invite people to touch and change them, to make them their very own. An entrepreneurial approach allows the practice to proactively explore new alternatives of development that better align with people’s future needs.

MKA’s work has been recognised with the Dutch Building Award in 2015, the World Architecture Festival Housing Award (Completed Buildings) and Director’s Special Award in 2017, World Architecture News Award for Best Housing Project in Europe 2017, Best Dutch Building of the Year (Housing) in 2018, architectenweb award in 2018 and was nominated for the Architect of the Year Award in 2021. Recently MKA won design tenders for ambitious new developments such as Poppies, Bosrijk, Robin Wood, Thamesmead in London and commissions such as Republica and MARK that promote the transition towards a circular and inclusive built environment. In 2022 MKA was nominated for World Architecture Festival in Lisbon with four projects – Superlofts Groningen, Koivistokade, Jakoba Mulderhuis (in collaboration with Powerhouse) and Robin Wood, which won in the category Future Residential Projects.

Marc Koehler (1977) grew up in a Dutch Portuguese family in the northern Dutch town of Naarden. He holds a Masters in Architecture from the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft). Since 2017 he has an advisory role at the municipality of Amsterdam as a member of the Spatial Quality Committee. The committee reviews planning permits in light of the city’s urban design ambitions across themes such as densification, urban renewal, sustainability and cooperative developments.