This charming monumental building in the center of Amsterdam had been renovated numerous times and therefore lacked consistency and the spatial qualities of the original design. We brought the monument back to its former glory by freeing it of all the unnecessary walls, blocking staircases and lowered ceilings to create roomy and light floors for this high-quality office.
The service facilities that formerly cluttered the monumental front of the building, have been grouped and moved to the middle section of each floor, to serve both the front and the annex of the building. Further on, the existing colossal staircase in the middle section of the building was replaced by a modern, transparent, straight stairway that allows daylight to flood the hallway though its adjacent new glass façade.
The annex of the building is wrapped in an entirely new façade. The layout that is similar to traditional Amsterdam canal houses, is a subtile nod to the historical context of the building. The new, glazed plinth connects the bottom floor with the garden in an airy way, while the profiled panels of mineral composite give the building a pronounced and sturdy appearance. Large, opening windows with French balconies are aligned to the grid of the façade creating a rhythmic pattern of carefully detailed surfaces.
By placing skylights in the courtyard, daylight now floods the basement of the building, transforming it into an independent pleasant and bright space.
The monumental rooms at the front of the building have been restored in close consultation with the Monument and Archeology Office in Amsterdam to bring back the original feel as much as possible. The lowered ceilings have been removed to restore the height of the rooms and the detailing is done in the characteristic style of the eighteenth century rooms.