“Take the Citroën North Building as it was imagined. Alter the function, add new functions. Modernise, update, leave what is inalienable intact. Open what is introverted, emphasize that it is all-sided. Bring daylight into the heart of the building. Turn the garage into a state-of-the-art multifunctional environment for work and accommodation, a benchmark for the redevelopment of young monuments. Activate the ramp as the central connecting element between the internal programme and that of the public space, between inside and outside, between building and city.”
Looking back, the initial commission for Rijnboutt’s transformation of the Citroën North Building could have been captured in these words. The Garage, as the former Citroëngarage (1962) at the Stadionplein is currently known, is the result of a marriage between ambitious commissioning, in-depth architectural-historical research, craftsmanship and an unusual view of repurposing a national monument.
By discussing several key topics, Frederik Vermeesch, architect and partner at Rijnboutt, explains what was at stake in the redevelopment of this national monument.
About Frederik Vermeesh
Frederik Vermeesch, architect partner at Rijnboutt, is interested in the variety of programmes the city has to offer. He considers the facilitation of that programme, in terms of design and user experience, to be his primary task. Initially he is not concerned with the built objects themselves, but with the interaction of the building with its surroundings, with the urban coherence and context in which buildings obtain their significance.
His interest translates into a broad portfolio operating at different levels of scale. The conversion of national monuments such as the former post office on the Neude in Utrecht, the Citroën north building or the transformation of the former Telegraaf building (both in Amsterdam) are eye-catching. This also applies to public buildings such as Gelderlandplein and Hudson’s Bay in Amsterdam – public buildings with a commercial function – or the supervision of the Boulevard Zone in Zandvoort.
1Lectures | Citroën North Building. Redefining an Icon | Frederik Vermeesch
Date: Thursday 10 October 2019
Time: 8 PM / Doors 7.45 PM
Location: Academy of Architecture Amsterdam, Waterlooplein 213
Language: English
Tickets: €7,50,- | Available in our online ticketshop
Academy of Architecture Amsterdam students are entitled to free admission on presentation of their student ID card.
