Caroline Bos
Caroline Bos (born 1959, Rotterdam) is a Dutch architect. She is a co-founder of UNStudio, a large award-winning architecture firm in Amsterdam. Bos writes, lectures and teaches architecture at various schools.
Caroline Bos

Karmakolle · CC0
- Born
- 1959. · Rotterdam.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- Occupation
- architect and art historian.
- Fields
- architecture and art history.
- Education
- ArtEZ, Birkbeck, University of London and Utrecht University.
- Known for
- Mercedes-Benz Museum.
- Languages
- Dutch.
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Documentary summary
Caroline Bos (born 1959, Rotterdam) is a Dutch architect. She is a co-founder of UNStudio, a large award-winning architecture firm in Amsterdam. Bos writes, lectures and teaches architecture at various schools.
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Note VALÉORINE
Caroline Bos (born 1959) is a Dutch architect and art historian. The architect was born in Rotterdam.
Caroline Bos studied at ArtEZ, Birkbeck, University of London and Utrecht University. The architect worked for Architectural Association School of Architecture, Berlage Institute and TU Wien, among others. Caroline Bos is active in architecture and art history.
Works include Mercedes-Benz Museum. Languages used include Dutch.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q547004 · wikipedia · Caroline Bos
In this article
Education
Education
Her architectural drawings and models are shown at museums like MoMA.
Caroline Bos studied at ArtEZ, Birkbeck, University of London and Utrecht University. The recorded working language is Dutch. The field of work recorded is architecture and art history. Employment is recorded with TU Wien, University of Liverpool and Berlage Institute. Works named in the authority record are Mercedes-Benz Museum.
Bos received a bachelor of arts in art history from Birkbeck, University of London in 1991. She later obtained a master's degree in architecture at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. It was in London that she first met Ben van Berkel.
Work
Work
Bos first worked as a journalist with Ben van Berkel on publications such as Forum (1985–86) and "Diagram Works" (1988). Bos and van Berkel, founded Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau in Amsterdam in 1988. The firm designed several "critically acclaimed projects" in the Netherlands. In 1998, the name of the firm was changed to UNStudio. The decision to remove their own names from their company is very in keeping with Bos' attitude that architecture is about collaboration. UNStudio has been "at the forefront of knowledge-driven architectural practice. The firm consists of a network of experts in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. Bos works closely with the entire team on a project and ensures that they are working towards good ideas. UNStudio promotes collaboration in order to undertake ambitious building projects. This approach they call "deep planning" which takes the neighborhood and surrounding areas into consideration when planning the location of a new building. UNStudio and Bos' and van Berkel's approach is "against the old idea of the master builder scribbling away on his drawings. If you've built one building, you know you are only a bit player in the whole process." Bos has been called UNStudio's "secret weapon" because she was not trained as a designer and has an outsider's approach to architecture. She has also been called "one of the best architects in the office." As of March 2012, the firm has a staff of 153 from 17 countries and has completed 69 projects. Bos has been involved in all of these, working with the various project teams. In the early years, Bos shares that much of their work came through architectural competitions because it was a good way for "independent and non-corporate practices to acquire a body of work." Some of the major urban infrastructure that Bos worked on include the Prince Claus Bridge in Utrecht, the Netherlands and the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Bos has taught at various institutions including the Academy of Architecture in Arnhem, Liverpool University, the Vienna University of Technology and the Berlage Institute in Amsterdam. Together with Ben van Berkel, she has also been a visiting lecturer at Princeton University and has co-authored several UNStudio publications. In 2012, she received an Honorary Professorship from the University of Melbourne. Bos likes to test preconceived notions about traditional architecture. Early in her career, she likened architecture it to high fashion: "the architect will be concerned with dressing the future." Bos also cites the importance of fitting infrastructure into urban surroundings efficiently and taking into account diverse users of the work. As her work progressed over time she has said that urban planning isn't utilized anymore and instead have "architecture and politics." She says of her work with van Berkel, "Alongside pursuing theoretical works, we sought from the beginning to build."
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1959
Caroline Bos born at Rotterdam.
Influences
Bos maintains that she has been particularly inspired by Renaissance and Baroque architects, such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, as well as by the 20th-century Dutch architect, Aldo van Eyck.

Le Toison d'Or van UNStudio
Karmakolle

Guldenvliesgalerij
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Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Watson-Guptil Publications. The Architect: Women in Contemporary Architecture. 26–29. 2001. 0823016528.
- 2.Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Caroline Bos. MoMA The Collection. 2015.
- 3.Heilmeyer, Florian. Ben van Berkel / UNStudio. BauNetz.
- 4.Chen, Aric. Dream House. Interior Design. 77. 10. 226. August 2006. 0020-5508.
- 5.The Consulate General of Netherlands, SF. Bio: Caroline Bos. Fora.tv. 17 November 2010.
- 6.Nobel, Philip. Toward a Future With Flair. The New York Times. 28 October 1999.
- 7.Tweeddale, Anna. Interview: Caroline Bos. ArchitectureAU. Architecture Media Pty Ltd. August 2012.
- 8.Wessner, Gregory. Ben van Berkel, interview. The Architectural League of New York. 2 February 2011.
- 9.de Ferrari, Gabriella. Ben van Berkel. Bomb. 80. Summer 2002.
- 10."UNStudio: People" . Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- 11."Ben van Berkel & Caroline Bos" , mapolis Architecture. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- 12."UNStudio - Ben van Berkel" , Architonic. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- 13.IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia). Next Lecture at IAAC: Caroline Bos from UNStudio. IAAC Blog. 24 April 2013.
- 14.Dutch Design Week Lecture: Caroline Bos. 17 November 2010.
- 15.Kunsmann, Jeanette. More Critically than Ever! Caroline Bos and Ben van Berkel in Conversation. Uncube. Baunetz Media. 28 May 2013.
- 16.Profile: Caroline Bos | CLAD.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q547004: Caroline BosWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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