Commercial complex Kaap-Noord

The building is the result of a competition, organized by the city council, for the transformation of an outdated business park in North Amsterdam. The site is to become an area where urban living and working are combined.

The winning design for a company building on Asterweg is intended to serve as a pilot project and departure point for the further development of the entire area. The brief called for a multi-company complex and stipulated high-density development and dual land use. This has resulted in a compact and sturdy-looking complex in which various functions are stacked. Many of the commercial spaces are situated behind a six-metre-high gateway in two-storey-high strips on either side of a public interior street.

The elevations of these strips are clad with silver-coloured aluminium corrugated sheets and opalescent glass. Above the units is a large public deck with studios and a parking space, which is accessible via steel stairs and a sixteen-metre-long sloping walkway. From here, there is a spectacular view over the IJ. Three office towers, which are positioned at right angles to each other and are clad with a decorative brick pattern, protrude through the deck. The combination of a deck and an interior street gives the complex the character of an enclosed enclave. (ARCAM/LM)