De Liefde

• Date 1989-1992
• Address Bilderdijkstraat, Da Costakade – 1053 XD Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Now well established in the Netherlands, Charles Vandenhove’s architectural practice was receiving an increasing number of commissions across the Moerdijck. In 1992, the design for an ambitious social housing complex formed part of a wide-ranging regeneration programme for the Da Costa neighbourhood in Amsterdam, which had been underway since 1985. The project entrusted to Vandenhove is situated at the heart of a densely populated block, on a plot linking Bilderdijkstraat and Da Costa Quay, on the site of a school and the former ‘De Liefde’ church, from which the project takes its name. The trapezoidal shape of the site imposed certain constraints, which Vandenhove overcame by proposing two building blocks aligned with the road, set on a large slab beneath which 51 parking spaces are located. Inside the block, two wings connect to the main buildings and form an internal public space. This inner courtyard, at the centre of which stands a fountain surrounded by a ‘tholos’ designed by Vandenhove, is accessible via two covered porticoes, the walls of which feature artwork by Daniel Buren.

The logic of large-scale construction leads the architect and the client to propose a rational approach to housing. The layout is virtually identical across all 101 flats, where day and night areas are separated by circulation spaces. Standardisation, however, is not synonymous with a lack of quality, and Vandenhove succeeds in providing high-quality homes, notably by ensuring that each flat has its own terrace. The formal style adopted by the architect is part of a tried-and-tested architectural language. The historicist style, whilst not ostentatious, blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Admittedly, several architectural concrete elements bear the hallmarks of the Liège-born architect’s work, such as the columns framing the main entrances, the prominent lintels, or the imposing cornice that interacts with the long frieze composed of square motifs. These elements might seem out of place had the architect not taken care to develop an overall design language that fits perfectly into its surroundings. Both the building’s scale and the predominant material, brick, reflect local traditions. To align with the genius loci, Vandenhove even goes so far as to reinterpret the dormer windows that punctuate the neighbourhood’s façades. As for the clock crowning the street-facing façades, it emphasises the building’s public function whilst subtly evoking certain public buildings of the Amsterdam School from the interwar period.

Whilst housing forms the bulk of the project, Vandenhove proposed to the client that a chapel facing Quai Da Costa at the far end of the complex be built; this has now been converted into housing. Incorporating the flooring from the former church, it features a rectangular space painted entirely in white, in a style whose restraint is naturally dictated by the brief. The chapel also features the work of the American visual artist Robert Barry, with words placed here and there on the walls.

Guest artists: Robert Barry, Daniel Buren, Charles Vandenhove.

• Description of the collection

  A file containing press cuttings, correspondence, studies, working drawings, detailed drawings, specifications, as well as numerous prints, negatives and slides.

• Volumetry 16 boites d’archives (1,9 m)
• Bibliography

  BEKAERT, Geert, Charles Vandenhove 1985-1995, Rotterdam, NAI Uitgevers, 1994, p. 78, 80, 153-157.

• AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2022