Weteringschans

• Date 2003 (not completed)
• Address Weteringschans, 8a – 1017 SG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Situated in the centre of Amsterdam, a stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum and right next to the legendary Paradisio concert hall, the project is set on a spacious plot between two canals. The immediate surroundings are characterised by historic buildings, none of which are more than four or five storeys high. Vandenhove responds to the context and makes the most of the gaps between neighbouring buildings to design a structure whose four façades are largely open to the outside, with some offering fine views of the urban landscape. The layout is logical and efficient. Above an underground car park, the identical floor plates extend over four storeys. On each level, the offices are arranged on either side of a central corridor, whilst the vertical circulation (stairs and lift) is situated at the rear within two cylindrical volumes, featuring the unmistakable Vandenhove spiral staircase. The architect draws on several design elements he had previously experimented with in various earlier projects. The red prefabricated concrete cladding – which echoes the brickwork of several neighbouring buildings – is reminiscent of the solution implemented a few years earlier at Le Balloir. The balconies extending from the offices, along with the curved glazing and bronze shutters, follow in the tradition of the Esther project in Liège and the Céramique project in Maastricht.

• Description of the collection

  1 presentation pack

• Bibliography

  Presentation dossier, Jeanne & Charles Vandenhove Foundation archives

• AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE ENTRY Sébastien Charlier, 2022