Photographer: Marcel van der Burg | ArchDaily

Het Streek Lyceum School / Atelier van Berlo + Ector Hoogstad Architecten

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Atelier van Berlo and Ector Hoogstad Architecten designed Het Streek Lyceum in Ede. The new building redefines the secondary school as a social and spatial heart for both students and the wider community. Designed by Atelier van Berlo and Ector Hoogstad Architecten, the building fosters encounters, vitality, and a sense of belonging within a compact and circular design.

How Amsterdam Uses the Doughnut Economics Model to Create a Balanced Strategy for Both the People and the Environment

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

In 2020, in the midst of the first wave of lockdowns due to the pandemic, the municipality of Amsterdam announced its strategy for recovering from this crisis by embracing the concept of the “Doughnut Economy.” The model is developed by British economist Kate Raworth and popularized through her book, “Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist”, released in 2017. Here, she argues that the true purpose of economics does not have to equal growth. Instead, the aim is to find a sweet spot, a way to balance the need to provide everyone with what they need to live a good life, a “social foundation” while limiting our impact on the environment, “the environmental ceiling.” With the help of Raworth, Amsterdam has downscaled this approach to the size of a city. The model is now used to inform city-wide strategies and developments in support of this overarching idea: providing a good quality of life for all without putting additional pressure on the planet. Other cities are following this example.

VERTICAL Building / NL Architects + Space Encounters + Studio Donna van Milligen Bielke + Chris Collaris Architects + VDNDP + i29 architects

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000

VERTICAL - "Sloterdijk Kavel N1 and N3" - VERTICAL is the highly ambitious endeavor to catalyze the transformation of the Sloterdijk business district from a monofunctional office park into a lively mixed-use neighborhood. VERTICAL is the collaborative and optimistic effort of Team Heijmans to introduce 'life' in as many ways as possible to an at first glance rather a hostile environment. How can we stimulate inspiring forms of cohabitation?

From Modernism to Multiculturalism: The Historical Evolution of Student Housing

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Student housing has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last century. Once seen as a utilitarian necessity, providing shelter and basic amenities for students, this architectural typology has evolved to address increasingly complex societal, cultural, and urban demands. Starting with Le Corbusier's modernist approach at the Cité Universitaire in Paris, student housing has reflected broader trends in architecture, urbanism, and social change.

De Voortuinen Apartment Building / Elephant

Andreas Luco — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Office to residential conversion. Once the head office of a national bank, now a residential tower and the starting point of a new vibrant neighborhood Westerpark West in Amsterdam. Elephant has turned city life inside out and changed the classic residential tower for good.

Mooijburg 12.06 Housing / Natrufied Architecture

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

On the newly developed Centrumeiland next to IJburg in Amsterdam, innovative construction methods are being implemented, resulting in a diverse and sustainable living environment. In addition to private plots, small Collective Private Commissioning (CPO) projects and self-build housing cooperatives are being realized. Furthermore, the municipality of Amsterdam has issued Co-Commissioning (MO) plots, where developers collaborate with future owners to create apartment complexes. The MO project named Mooijburg encompasses three of these plots and has been awarded to Mooijburg BV, a consortium consisting of DGV Group, Evergreen Building Development, and Weever Bouw, with the intention to develop in collaboration with future residents.

Villa V / RHAW architecture

Paula Pintos — Thu, 30 May 2024 03:00:00 +0000

The power of omission. For years Jaap and Marieke have considered the idea of building their own house. Several designs were abandoned, proved too expensive, or did not suit the conditions of the zoning plan. To get to the essence, all of the ideas and wishes were carefully sifted through. Thanks to simplification and reduction, but without abandoning essential wishes, a comprehensible house was created. The simplistic, single-story design can be read at a glance.

wij_land Housing / Space&Matter

Pilar Caballero — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Wij_land is a pioneering self-build collective united by the desire to live more sustainably in a close-knit community of diverse residents. Initiators Mireille and Daniël have gone above and beyond to turn their vision into a reality. They sought the expertise of Space&Matter and Common City for the design and process guidance, aiming to bring together a group of self-proclaimed ‘pragmatic idealists’ and guide them in realising their dream homes. The result is a climate-adaptive residential building by the water on Centrumeiland, Amsterdam, with 26 varied homes and five communal spaces.

School Architecture: 70 Examples in Plan and Section

María Francisca González — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 07:30:00 +0000

For architects, schools are often complex structures to design. They must provide a variety of spaces for education, and also consider sports and recreational activities. But beyond its size or surface, the greatest challenge is to design an area that fosters a positive pedagogical environment for children. Below, a selection of +70 school projects with their drawings to inspire your proposals for learning campuses.

Factory Apartments / Elephant

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0000

A new function for the building and the façade. The former Fluor office building in Haarlem was designed in 1972 with the idea that it could accommodate any future function, making it easily marketable. This forward-thinking proved to be a sustainable investment that we are now reaping the benefits of. The building boasts an outsized scale, with a footprint of 80 by 37 meters and ceilings reaching 3.6 meters high. Back then, the open structure with expansive mushroom columns and spans was ideal for small office cubicles, while the repeating column structure in the façade offered a sense of enclosure. Now, the building has been stripped, with the cubicles replaced by loft apartments. This transformation completely altered the function of the interior and the façade: from work to living, from enclosure to openness, and from overview to wide view.

The Doors Housing Complex / Space Encounters

Paula Pintos — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

In a landscape that used to be dominated by shipbuilding yards, dry docks, and mighty cranes, The Doors serves as a beacon for a new future. Amsterdam Buiksloterham is transforming into a vibrant part of the city where living, working, playfulness, and sculptural expression come together. The Doors is part of the dynamic masterplan Buiksloterham City-Plots, which was one of the first transformation plans in this area of Amsterdam. The plan consists of larger building block ensembles that together form a dense and mixed-use neighborhood. The urban integration of the building into the adjacent developments refines the architectural appearance and the spatiality of the design.

Oostenburg Housing Complex / Space Encounters 

Hadir Al Koshta — Sun, 04 Jun 2023 23:00:00 +0000

Oostenburg is one of the last urban transformation areas in the center of Amsterdam where former industrial production has made way for inner-city housing over time. In collaboration with OZ, Workshop Architects, and BETA, Space Encounters designed a striking housing complex as part of a large building block that surrounds the historical Werkspoorhal at the heart of the area. The post-industrial site is currently being transformed into a vibrant and high-density residential neighborhood. Between a selection of historical and more recent buildings, a new, mixed urban context is being realized, consisting of buildings that differ in scale and size, and have inviting plinths and variations in the design of their rooflines. The Oostenburg project by Space Encounters was shaped with these parameters in mind to provide high-quality high-density living.

Cinema Nouveau: The Architecture of Movie Theaters

Eric Baldwin — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 06:30:00 +0000

Cinemas mirror architecture. While the coronavirus pandemic shuttered theaters across the world for months, the industry is looking to the future as it aims to rethink the movie-going experience. As crowds flocked to the cinema after the 1918 pandemic, so too will the industry change shape again as it respond to new modes of watching films together.

Concrete, Wood, Steel and Glass: How to Choose the Material of a Staircase?

Valeria Montjoy — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Most of us use stairways every day, but few times do we stop to contemplate their design or put much thought into their function. With their steps, treads and railing, they are easily one of the most fundamental architectural elements in any home. Apart from providing a safe, simple and easy access from one floor to another, it is through staircases that architects create unique spatial forms and strong visuals. From afar, one can observe people moving up and down repeatedly; from within, the user is treated to new angles and ways to perceive a space. Therefore, good staircases are more than just means of vertical circulation. Through their might and scale, they can become the protagonist of a space – a design focal point that rises to the level of art. In this article, we present their versatile characteristics and material qualities through a selection of inspiring examples, all of which can be found in Architonic's 'Staircases' section.

Vaccinopolis Center / Proof of the sum

Andreas Luco — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Vaccinopolis opened its doors on Friday 25 March 2022. Vaccines against all kinds of pathogens will be tested and improved in the unique vaccine research center on Campus Drie Eiken, accelerating the fight against new and existing diseases. “With Vaccinopolis we put our country on the map”, says driving force Pierre Van Damme (UAntwerp). Vaccine development is one of the greatest global challenges today. “Corona has pushed us very hard on the facts,” explains vaccinologist Prof. Pierre Van Damme (UAntwerp). “But the awareness has been there for a long time.

OurDomain Student Housing / OZ Architects

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 19:00:00 +0000

OurDomain Amsterdam Southeast, located on a knowledge axis consisting of educational institutions and student housing in Amsterdam, sparks a new pulse in the area. Strategically located next to an academic hospital and train station, the campus with a critical mass of approx. 1,500 apartments and amenities introduces its first residential building into a predominantly office area. This new campus is the catalyst that ignites the long-desired change from a mono-functional office area into a lively, multifunctional city district. The urbanistic objective of the OurDomain campus is to introduce fundamental change, generate new connections, and facilitate social space that inspires its users.

Haasje Over Apartments / VMX Architects

Valeria Silva — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 02:00:00 +0000

The former Philips area. The Strijp-S ensemble in Eindhoven was designed and built during the second machine age. The machine and the factory became predominant, resulting in a truly efficient and rational expression. The industrial logistics and technical principles of the Philips manufacturing process, inspired by Ford and Taylor, resulted in a collection of buildings with a very different look. An autonomous piece of the city with strictly organized and physically connected buildings. An urban system of streets and squares where long lines prevailed and functionality was sacred.

Framing Indeterminacy: The Incorporation of Uncertainty Into Architecture

Andreea Cutieru — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 07:30:00 +0000

By definition, architecture and urban planning operate within a certain degree of indeterminacy, using present context to find viable answers for an unknown future. As a result, design is a constant search for a balance between prescribing and taking a step back to make room for alternate yet unforeseeable scenarios. Uncertainty is an inherent condition in present-day society, and recent rapid social, economic, and even environmental changes prompt a closer look at how architecture can incorporate indeterminacy. The following reviews some precedents and contemporary examples that programmatically operate with indeterminacy, highlighting several strategies for designing for uncertainty and change.