a+b architectural design lab is awarded the Sub Zero Regional Winner for Kitchen Design and selected by Dwell Magazine's one of the five “Intelligent Kitchen Designs”.
"A Manhattan transplant, architect Francine Besselaar and her partner Canan Akyuz, built her Princeton, New Jersey, home to showcase open, airy space and a kitchen that fosters conversation"
francine besselaar
Principal Architect & Partner
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Francine Besselaar has 25+ years of experience in architecture. After working with Selldorf Van Campen Architects in New York City, she has worked on loft and apartment renovations throughout the New York City area. She is a founding member of a+b architectural design lab. She was also Principal partner at Westcott Studio where she managed projects that included, but were not limited to residences, corporate projects, retail stores and a project with Princeton University.
Francine received her Master in Architecture from the University of Oregon in 1991 and her BA (’84) in English Literature from Colorado College. Francine was born to Dutch parents and grew up in Leiden, Holland, Washington DC, and Princeton, NJ.
Her love of architecture was a natural extension of her international background and travel.
canan akyuz
Principal Architect & Partner
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Canan has 30+ years of experience in the field of architecture and design working at Selldorf Van Campen Architects in New York City, Ralph Erskine in Stockholm, Sweden and Rüssli Architects in Lucerne, Switzerland. She is a founding partner of a+b architectural design lab, and founder of Akyuz Architectural Design.
She received her Masters’ degree in architecture from the Graduate School of Architecture preservation and Planning (GSAPP) from Columbia University in 1992. She had received her Bachelor’s degree in Piano performance at New England Conservatory of Music, and at Boston University. After completing her Bachelors (’86) and Masters (’89) degree in Music and Piano Performance, she transitioned to pursue her passion for Architecture and Design at Columbia University School of Architecture. While at Columbia University, she was awarded the American Association of University Women Fellowship, as well as the AIA Merit Award two years in a row. She is also the recipient of the William Kinney Travel Grant from the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation department.
Canan grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, which has enriched her design aesthetic.
history
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In 1996, Canan Akyuz and Francine Besselaar who previously had worked together while at Selldorf Van Campen Architects, started collaborating on projects in New York City. When Francine moved to Princeton, NJ she started her own firm, Westcott Studio. In this capacity, she worked on many residential, corporate and institutional projects. Canan, during this time continued her own growing practice, Akyuz Architectural Design, which focused on a combination of NYC residential and commercial projects, ranging from art galleries to ground-up residences, as well as weekend homes outside the City.
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When Canan moved to Princeton, Canan and Francine joined forces again and rebranded themselves as a+b architectural design lab. Together they are successfully collaborating on various multi-scale architecture and design projects with diverse aesthetics.
