Prefabricated wooden box with ceramic tile cladding

Various bridge control buildings have stood on the site of the Zeilstraat house over the years. The original building by Piet Kramer was demolished in 1966. This handsome brick structure was replaced by a modern, box-shaped building by Dirk Sterenberg, which was very similar to the Theophile de Bock house (N360). Sterenberg’s building was partially demolished in 1995, leaving only the concrete foundations.

The architectural firm Kerste-Meijer, who also designed the Westerkeer house (N346) and the Oosterdok house (N2250), was commissioned in 2007 to design a new bridge and bridge control building. Like Sterenberg’s building, this building is a box on a pile, but it is clad with ceramic tiles. The dark grey tiles contrast pleasingly with the orange-brown window frames of the ribbon window that extends over three of the elevations. There is also an eye-catching sun awning. (ARCAM/space&matter)