Page 154 - AIT0418_E-Paper

BÜRO UND VERWALTUNG • OFFICE BUILDINGS INNERE WERTE • INNER VALUES
© ARCAM Architectuurcentrum Amsterdam
Luftbild aus der Entstehungszeit des Waisenhauses • Arial view from the time when the orphanage was built The building is like a small town
„Das Projekt für das ehemalige Waisenhaus
ist ein gutes Beispiel für die Devise: Nicht
einfrieren, sondern revitalisieren.“
Wessel de Jonge
Grundriss • Floor plan
154 • AIT 4.2018
T he municipal orphanage in Amsterdam, the so-called Burgerweeshuis, is an icon
of postwar modernism. Planned and realized between 1957 and 1960 by Aldo van
Eyck (1918-1999) at the southern outskirts of the city, soon after its completion it alrea-
dy attracted much attention internationally as an outstanding example of structural-
ism, a new architectural trend emerging at the time parallel to postmodernism. It was
composed of 328 small and eight large identical spatial modules which are clearly
noticeable due to their concrete domes when seen from above. The building was able
to accommodate up to 125 children separated into eight age groups. To each group, van
Eyck assigned an enclosed courtyard as well as one of the large domed modules as an
individually designed common room. In the grid of the smaller domes and depending
on their function, the bedrooms and secondary rooms were separated with walls of
concrete, bricks, glass or glass blocks. Despite the monotonous basic structure, van
gned the main entrance to be on the side facing the city. A two-storey residential and
Eyck thus produced varied spatial impressions and atmospheres. The architect desi-
administrative wing for the 25 caregivers here screened the facility from the street. The
building was accessed through the large courtyard situated behind this wing.
Until the 1990s, the orphanage was used as such with, however, the number of the
children to be accommodated rapidly declining since the 1980s. This was why, already
at that time, one started to alter sections of the building and lease them as office spa-
ces. Among others, the Berlage Institute, a free school of architecture, moved into the
building for several years. When the institute moved out and the last children left, in
the late 1990s began the increasing decay of the facility which had meanwhile been
sold to a project developer. Although the new owner continued to lease the building,
he cared little about its preservation. When, in 2014, the orphanage was listed as a
Rijksmonument, the highest category for monuments in the Netherlands, the building
was in an extremely bad condition. But rescue arrived the form of the new owners, the
Brouwershoff (today: Zadelhoff) real-estate company and the Nijkerk Burgerweeshuis
B.V. financial holding which purchased the building the same year. Shortly after the
acquisition, they commissioned the architect Wessel de Jonge with a comprehensive
renovation. De Jonge is considered to be a specialist in dealing with architectural
monuments of the 20th century. Among others, he was in charge of the award-winning
renovations of the Sanatorium Zonnestraal in Hilversum designed by Jan Duiker and
the Rotterdam Van Nelle Fabriek by Brinkman & Van der Vlugt.
Desirable preservation and necessary renovation
For this purpose, he had all the subsequently added installations removed, the con-
crete structure cleaned and, where it was necessary, repaired. On the inside, the
domes were given a new top layer of acoustically effective spray plaster. All the wall
surfaces, the still preserved wooden installations from the time of the construction as
well as the wall cabinets, work surfaces and wall installations and all the glass frames
were refurbished. The panes of glass, on the other hand, de Jonge had replaced to
make the building better usable as to ecology as well as economy. A compromise was
also the installation of new under-floor heating in the interiors. It is considerably more
effective than the originally installed radiators yet also made new floor surfaces neces-
sary. When it came to the “indoor streets” covered with quartzite stones, on the other
hand, de Jonge decided to preserve the original situation. The fact that a highly under-
standing user in everything regarding architecture could be found with the BDP pro-
ject- and area developer made the realization and implementation of de Jonge’s deci-
sions easier in many cases. With Odette Ex, BDP furthermore enlisted a competent
interior designer. All the furnishing items, materials and colours selected support the
original spatial ideas by van Eyck. Thus concrete-grey carpeting was installed in the
office spaces. Due to different colour nuances, it reflects the grid of the ceiling domes.
In addition, the workspaces were equipped with the Boring Collection by Lensvelt. The
forms of the grey tables, chairs, rolling file cabinets and waste-paper baskets reduced
to what is essential do not forcefully strike the eye but let the space have an effect.
New colour accents are only added by the acoustic panels on the walls. The colour
palette selected is typical of the time when the orphanage was built and corresponds
to the use of colour in the works by van Eyck. In contrast, in the break- and common
rooms brightly stained types of wood were used for the floors as well as the furniture.