Founder and Director of JDS Architects
Julien De Smedt is a Belgian architect and the founder and director of JDS Architects, an internationally acclaimed studio with offices in Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Shanghai. His work is known for its innovative and contextually responsive designs. Born in 1975 in Brussels, De Smedt studied architecture in Paris, Los Angeles, and London, earning his diploma from the Bartlett School of Architecture in 2000. He then worked with Rem Koolhaas at OMA in Rotterdam, where he met Bjarke Ingels. In 2001, they co-founded the architecture firm PLOT in Copenhagen, which gained international recognition for projects like the VM Houses and the Maritime Youth House. PLOT was disbanded in 2006, leading De Smedt to establish JDS Architects.
De Smedt’s notable projects include the Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo, the Mountain Dwellings and Kalvebod Waves in Copenhagen, and the Iceberg housing development in Aarhus. His work has received numerous awards, such as the Henning Larsen Prize (2003), the Eckersberg Medal (2005), and the Maaskant Prize (2009).
