Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Architect: CUBE architecten.

The former Stork factory in Amsterdam North is being redeveloped into a bustling new area called De Overkant. The project aims to create an industrial location with a high character, where creative companies, restaurants, events, and culture will find their place over the next 15 years. The prime location on the IJ has a rich history of port and industry, and the raw industrial character will be used as identity for the new features. The architects, CUBE architecten and SOLUZ, won the architects selection with their sketch design in 2009 and have been involved in the process and realization of the project since then. The focus is on some special features that are important for the new use of the building, and minimum investments have to have a maximum impact. The process is one of the biggest challenges due to the complexity of the assignment, and good coordination, cooperation, and trust between the various parties are crucial. The concept for the facades is to keep the existing characteristics and nuances as much as possible, with new interventions being incidental and recognizable. The new additional openings emphasize the important places and important visual and/or physical relationships between inside and outside. In the near future, this region will be a sustainable and social addition to one of the socially poor areas in Amsterdam North. In the long term vision, this area has the potential to become a valuable and unique, residential mixed-use area while retaining several elements.

Photo credit: CUBE Architecten.