VS-A.group is a registered name for the services provided by the VS-A companies who design and develop tailor-made building facades and envelopes.

Our teams consist of around 60 specialists who work in independent offices located in France, China (Hong Kong and Shenzhen) and Korea.

Our Philosophy

Facades tell stories; The stories draw upon the city; its climate; the orientation; the personality of the developer and the vision of the designer; the skills of the construction industry and the codes; the expectations of the users and the way they appropriate the project.

In our fast-paced world, no two project mirror one another. Nowhere else is this more apparent than in the Envelope. Year after year, each one is an iteration, embodying increasingly sustainable, reliable, safe, expressive or value engineered ideals.

Since 1989, VS-A has provided unique envelope design solutions for a plethora of projects across Europe. Recently our founding principle has allowed us to expand our network into the Asia Pacific Region. From 2011 VS-A has been opening studios in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Shenzhen. Our close ties with local design, development, and manufacturing teams have allowed us to grow in accordance with each cultural and climatic environment.

While our core strengths in façade engineering focus around the finely tuned tailoring of bespoke projects, we also have R&D teams that are dedicated to channeling our design creativity to parallel fields. Their activities include the development of Products, Geometric Patterns, BIM, AI, IOT, Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping.

We practice Innovation as much as is required by the Project. At the same time our attitude is fundamentally reasonable, always practical, and always cost-effective.

No project is too small, and each one is a challenge we look forward to rising to. Whether you’re a Developer, Architect, Designer, Student, Start-up, Contractor, or Supplier we’d like to hear your story as much as we’d like to share ours.

1989

“Van SANTEN, Bureau d’Etudes Façades”, starts its very first project in Paris with Architect Christian ENJOLRAS. The project involves developing an extruded aluminium profile that can be used both as roofing and as a brise-soleil.

1991

First international project with the participation in the Design and Engineering of some facades of the Kansai Airport in Japan, with Renzo PIANO Building Workshop.

1998

The firm is renamed “Van Santen & Associés s.à.r.l.” in 1998, and VS-A in 2010.

2011 & Onwards

VS-A starts in Asia:
2011: VS-A.HK Ltd. is formed
2013: VS-A.KR Ltd. & VS-A.SZ Ltd. are set up
2019: Formation of VS-A Design Ltd. in Hong Kong

Robert-Jan Van Santen
Architect, Technical Director

OFFICE : FR/HK/KR/SZ + VS-A.Design

Robert-Jan van SANTEN graduated in Architecture from UPA3 Versailles (FR).  He worked for 4 years in “Atelier de Paris” with Renzo PIANO. From 1989 onward, he played a significant role in setting establishing the VS-A satellites in the Asia Pacific region. He was honored with the Silver Medal from the French Académie d'Architecture for Research and Technique in 2008. In the last decade Robert was instrumental in the formation of VS-A Design, which hosts VS-A’s R&D activities. The design outputs are regularly patented. The Korean start-up company, UBLO was jointly set up with Naree KIM. This latest enterprise is responsible for developing a personalized ventilation window. Robert -Jan is a regular speaker at international conferences and participates in numerous jury panels worldwide.

Suzy Huang
Associate

OFFICE: HK/SZ

With 7 years’ experience in the glass facade industry, Suzy HUANG brings her knowledge to VS-A as the co-founder and CEO of VS-A. HK. She promotes Robert-Jan’s exquisite design concepts and ideas in Asia, especially in China, to contribute creating iconic buildings. She was the Overseas Director of major projects in Europe, Asia and USA for a leading Chinese glass facade manufacturer. Suzy is now in charge of management in VS-A.HK and VS-A.SZ offices.

Naree Kim
Architect, Associate & PM

OFFICE: KR

Naree KIM has been working in Europe and Asia as an architect on Urban and Architectural scaled projects. She studied Architectural Engineering in Korea and Architecture in France. After initially working in VS-A France and VS-A.HK she proceeded to become a co-founded VS-A.KR. Her understanding of both architectural design and technical issues facilitates efficient communication across design teams, contractors and other parties. She frequently provides fresh and innovative design approaches for the projects she gets involved in. This has led to multiple collaborations with Architects at competition stage. In 2018 she set-up the Korean start-up company UBLO with Robert-Jan van SANTEN. The Company’s mission is to to develop and produce an innovative personalized ventilation window.