Thomas Rau

Thomas Rau is an architect, entrepreneur and innovator and one of the thought leaders in the circular economy. Rau is called the most radical builder in the Netherlands. His architecture firm, RAU, is known for the first circular and positive energy buildings in Europe.

In 2013, Thomas was elected Dutch Architect of the Year and received the ARC13 Oeuvre Award for his large-scale contribution to both promoting and realizing sustainable architecture, as well as drawing attention to the circular economy through international lectures, TV documentaries, TED talks and publications. In 2016, he was nominated for the Circular Economy Leadership Award of the World Economic Forum, and in 2021 he received the Circular Hero Award from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. In 2022, the ULI Germany Leadership Award for Urban Innovation was added.

Together with Sabine Oberhuber, Thomas published the book Material Matters, in which the two extensively explain their philosophy for the first time. In the book, the authors describe their proposed transition from the current linear economy to a new economic model. The book has sold over 50,000 copies in the Netherlands and Germany and is now also available in English.