i29 interior architects designed a pavilion for the dutch magazine Eigen Huis & Interieur during the annual design fair in RAI Amsterdam. With an architectural installation i29 strived to make a spatial experience for the visitors that surprises; an environment that should be discovered step by step.
The ‘house’ has been reduced to the essence; open and closed surfaces, walls and volumes, sight lines. Contrast in color and specular surfaces are playing with the perception of space. Mirrored volumes are hiding display cases which include compressed worlds which refer to living. The contrast between the ‘emptiness’ of the pavilion itself and the richly decorated display cases reinforce each other. The powerful simplicity of the pavilion makes it a place for contemplation amidst the abundance of products at the fair.
An old sugar refinery on an Amsterdam canal, converted into contemporary loft by architect Standard Studio.
Walking through Amsterdam’s city centre is always a delight because of the beautiful architecture. Although we are often left with the urge to see inside the buildings. Luckily we have the opportunity to see a typical canal house which dates from 1752, and used to be a sugar refinery two and a half centuries ago. Standard Studio, an architecture and interior design firm from Amsterdam, did the full renovation and interior design for this monument on the unesco protected canals.
Opposite Amsterdam Zuid railway station, the Strawinskylaan bicycle parking, designed by wUrck, opened in May. With a capacity of 3,750 spaces it became the largest underground bike parking in the Dutch capital. Thoughtfully designed and offering a high level of comfort, it is seen as setting a new standard for this kind of facility.
The Strawinskylaan bicycle parking is located just north of Amsterdam Zuid railway station and adds 3,750 places to the existing Zuidplein (2,700 places) and Mahlerplein (3,000 places) parkings in the area. Providing good parking facilities for bikes is an important part of the municipal strategy to guarantee a sustainable and comfortable access of the public transport node while increasing the quality of the public space. The parking is located under the former Vijfhoek park, which will be redeveloped in the coming months into a neighbourhood square with playground facilities.
Studio Modijefsky has recently completed a new bar in Amsterdam East called Bar Basquiat. Named after one of the most celebrated American artists of the 20th century, poet and painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat, the bar is located in a multicultural neighbourhood packed with small shops and markets. Formerly a local supermarket with a butcher inside, the building had plenty to offer; large openings facing the main street and a strong grid of beams on the ceiling.
The urban characteristics of the area together with Basquiat’s artistic ideas and visions; and the distinct quality, which the space offers create the foundations for the concept design of the new bar.
Small and mid-size companies often have trouble finding suitable office space in Amsterdam. The creative industry has seemingly unrealistic demands when it comes to office locations: an incubator of ideas, which is spacious and inspiring, with a unique design at a great location with car access. Salt is a response to these needs, providing small, high quality offices, each with a unique identity. The building forms part of Amsterdam’s port redevelopment Minervahaven, contributing to its ambition to become a new creative hub.
UNStudio designs the IJbaan Cable Car: Amsterdam’s fast, green and future-proof public transport connection
UNStudio has completed designs for the IJbaan: Amsterdam’s future cable car, commissioned by the IJbaan Foundation (Stichting IJbaan). The IJbaan is a grassroots “Amsterdammer” citizens’ initiative, snowballing from a crowdfunding campaign led by Bas Dekker and Willem Wessels started in 2015 and now supported by the Municipality of Amsterdam. Its goal is to create a new connection across the IJ by the 750th anniversary of Amsterdam in 2025.
The one and a half kilometer cable car line is a clean and quick public transport connection between two growing residential areas: Amsterdam-West and Amsterdam-Noord / NDSM. The design consists of three slender pylons and two stations: NDSM Marina on the North Bank and Minervahaven to the South. The cable car is designed flexibly, so that in the future the route can be expanded to include a third station, creating a connection to the Hemknoop, Sloterdijk Station or even Westergasfabriek and the Westerpark, depending on growth and need.
Studioninedots completes residential complex on Zeeburger Island Amsterdam
On the northern tip of the rapidly developing Zeeburger Island in Amsterdam Studioninedots, commissioned by de Alliantie and Lingotto, designed two striking volumes. Due to their stepped profiles and changing facade rhythms they appear different depending on the viewing angle. All 142 residences plus the shared outdoor spaces on the deck are orientated towards the magnificent views.
Vondelgym focuses on hybridism. They offer classes that combine high-intensity training with Pilates and yoga and believe that large open spaces allow participants to ‘feel the energy of the other classes. Fitness is part of a lifestyle. It’s about being critical of yourself and your environment. Clients put extra care and effort into their health and appearance and equally expect a cared-for interior design in the spaces they frequent.
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) of the University of Amsterdam is a centre for interdisciplinary research and brings together young international scientists to generate ideas, broaden knowledge and develop new research methodologies. Biologists, sociologists and economists work together on topics such as climate change, immigration and financial crises. In addition, Nobel Prize laureates are invited to discuss urgent interdisciplinary issues.
Tapping into the open building movement, Superlofts offers its residents the freedom to design and/or self-build their homes from scratch incorporating any hybrid function, and co-create the shared spaces as a community.
Resilient buildings can adapt and evolve to a city’s ever-changing programmes and the lifestyles of its inhabitants. Unfortunately as older building stock becomes obsolete this results in wasted empty or under-utilised space. In the Netherlands, the estimated total building vacancy is five times the number of new buildings constructed annually.
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