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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Department store Vroom & Dreesmann in Amsterdam, The Netherlands by Office WinhovJanuary 5th, 2020 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Office Winhov The historic department store of Vroom & Dreesmann forms a beacon for the center of Amsterdam. The complex between the Rokin and Kalverstraat consists of a combination of different buildings which have been renovated several times over the past hundred years. Office Winhov aimed to unravel this condition of rich stratification, bringing back the original qualities of the buildings while respecting the different styles of renovation. A few new elements have been added which make a more varied program for the complex possible.  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller
 Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller
 Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller The main part of the complex is the former department store that was designed in 1912 by the architect Francois Caron. For this, the classic Parisian ‘Grand Magasin’ served as a source of inspiration. In the 1930s, the department store was radically renovated by the Amsterdam school architect Jan Kuijt. Only a part of his original design was executed, so that both designs remained visible as a collage next to each other. The second part of the complex on the opposite side of the original Sint Jorissteeg consists of the eighteenth century warehouses on the Rokin and the nineteenth-century building of Jacot and Oldewelt on the Kalverstraat. During the time that V&D and La Place were housed in the complex, the alley was gradually built over. Due to the many renovations, the buildings eventually lost their individual character and visibility. The central intervention in the renovation is to bring back the historic St. Jorissteeg as a connection between the Rokin and Kalverstraat. The partially lost facades on either side of the alley have been restored and healed. This gives the buildings their own position and character. On the bottom three floors, the original department store of Caron and Kuijt consisted of retail spaces with simple offices above. By installing a new entrance in the alley, it became possible to design the top four floors of the department store as high quality offices. The central void from Caron’s plan has been restored and equipped with a new skylight which forms the center point of the offices. The ground floor, basement and the first floor are entirely reserved for retail purposes. The building of Jacot and Oldewelt has been restored and is connected to the old warehouses on the Rokin by means of a glass intermediate construction. This part of the complex has been given hospitality as a new destination.  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller The facades on the Kalverstraat and Rokin have been completely renovated. Historically valuable elements such as the steel curtain wall have been reconstructed to contemporary requirements and the layers of time in the complex have been made visible again. The plinths on both street sides have been completely renewed, keeping the original rhythm. New entrances on the dividing line between the part of Caron and Kuijt have been incorporated, and elements such as canopies on the Rokin side return to the contemporary manner of the street. The design for the V&D complex fits in the tradition of critical reconstruction. The public domain has been strengthened by reducing the alley and at the same time a more diverse – and therefore more robust – programming of the complex has been made possible. The interventions consist partly of reconstructions which aim to heal the existing, and partly of new additions. These additions are recognizable but have an assimilating character that, above all, serve to reinforce the characteristic qualities of the original buildings and to make visible the different layers of time of this rich complex.  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller  Image Courtesy © Stefan Müller  Image Courtesy © Wijnanda Duits  Image Courtesy © Wijnanda Duits  Image Courtesy © Wijnanda Duits  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov  Image Courtesy © Office Winhov
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Tags: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Categories: Building, Office Building, office Complex, Offices, Retail, SketchUp, Vectorworks |
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