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Arts & Crafts Center,
Amsterdam
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The Arts and Crafts Center of Amsterdam is located between
Nieuwendijk and Kattegat and its side streets Smaksteeg and
Gouwenaarssteeg. The
front entrance of the center is at Nieuwendijk. The city bloc that
makes up the center consists of old monument houses completed for
the major section by new architecture adapted to its environment.
Hotel rooms are realized in the 3 top floors with 13 units each to
extend the neighboring (formerly) Sonesta Hotel. |
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| If you enter the Smaksteeg
from the Nieuwendijk you step down, literary from the dike. To the left we
see the parking garage and right the Arts & Crafts Center connected
through a bridge, mid-air. Around the curve and under the bridge we
can see the columns in front of the waterfall.
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Front entrance facade of the Arts & Crafts
Center at the Nieuwendijk.
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Preliminary design isometrics of all the floor levels.
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The new center and parking garage are drawn in an aerial view of the
area around Sonesta hotel as published in Cobouw.
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Elevation of Gouwenaarssteeg.
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Elevation of Smaksteeg
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Floor plan of hotel rooms and garage at
the 3rd floor, where a bridge connects the rooms with the hotel along a
corridor that runs over the waterfall and around the car elevator of the
garage. |
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Development of the plan
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The center started out as a gift center for the
neighboring Sonesta Hotel with an extension of its accommodation. A bridge
connecting the two over the narrow side street is essential for the
functioning of the new hotel rooms. With the change from Gift center
to Arts & Craft Center came the idea of artisans working here and
selling their products. The plan and its construction allow the different
uses both as a center and for the development of individual shops.
The Arts & Crafts center fills the ground floor and second floor
level along the side streets and the ground floor level coming from the
Nieuwendijk front entrance. Under this spit-level is a basement. These
spaces show the concrete construction of columns and beams as a support of the upstairs floors
and walls in structural patterns. The span or width of a section and
consequently the width of a facade section and the wall-to-wall distance
of the hotel rooms is 4.20 m. The floor bearing walls are masonry; the outside brickwork
has been laid with red bricks that form patterns to give strength to the
outside and are following the modular measurements of the brick (in 'Waal'
format).
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Model showing the concrete structure that supports
the upper floors and walls.
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Split-level floors of center.
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Looking down from the stairs of the parking garage at the little
square along the Smaksteeg.
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View from the garage roof at step-gables of hotel accommodation
during construction.
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As every section has a double door in the side streets,
each unit could function as a separate shop along the inside street. This
individuality also shows in the gables that hide the roofs with flattop behind
it; the side roofs are covered with blue ceramic tiles. The window frames are made of pinewood
and only consist of larger and smaller square windows. The larger ones,
three per room, are the windows that open. The structural repeat of
elements is based on the measurement of the brick and create a similarity
with the vernacular in a contemporary fashion. The expression of the
elevation shows how its weight is brought down. The form, this gets, is
particularly expressive around the entrances of the side streets, where
the columns on either side narrow down over the doors and come forward in an
overhang. |
Step-gable facade creating a slight overhang.
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Detail of model scale 1 : 100.
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Section of center with entrance at Smaksteeg.
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Looking up in the Gouwenaarssteeg.
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The design for the Arts & Crafts
Center found much inspiration in 17th century Renaissance architecture as
can be found in the town center such as at Bloemgracht in 'the Jordaan'
area. Most of all the human scale of this historical monument breathes
qualities that can hardly be found in modern architecture. The shutters
on ground floor level function as sales areas with rain protection. Such
practical architectural details could have been applied in the Center. |
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Facades of house group at the
Bloemgracht of Amsterdam. |
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| Additional data:
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Client: Sonesta Hotel, Amsterdam.
Architect: Ir. Enno Wiersma (with Architects firm De Klerk).
Contractor/structural engineer: Hollandsche Beton Maatschappij BV,
Rijswijk.
The project received the Habitation Space International Award. |
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