KAAN Architecten’s Impact on Amsterdam

KAAN Architecten’s Impact on Amsterdam: Redefining Urban Spaces For centuries, Amsterdam has been a living laboratory of large-scale urban development, starting with the 17th-century canals, to Berlage and Van Eesteren’s plans in the 20th, and later the docklands and the ring, today's actual fringe belt developments. All of these are characterised by the strong guidance of the city and an innovative, pioneering mentality when it comes to developing a new housing typology.

As its historic core comprises the UNESCO Heritage Canal system, Amsterdam has minimal possibilities for interventions in its centre. The city has already boldly expanded towards former docklands and wastelands, shaping a historic central node surrounded by residential and business clusters. Especially the ring road around the centre is now the focal point for many developments. It has the advantage of proximity to large infrastructure means while bridging the gap between the centre and the outskirts.

Although no prediction can be completely future-proof, city planners and developers seek ways and ideas to ensure the city continues flourishing. This situation creates a platform for fruitful discussion and a vast playground for architectural intervention.

Recently, in the early 90s, the founding partners of KAAN Architecten were actively engaged with the last urban renewal projects within the city centre. These include Kadijken and Haarlemmerstraat, the Borneo Sporenburg project on the eastern islands, the revitalisation of the Bijlmermeer, and the initial studies for IJburg.

DE WALVIS

THE STACK + BLOK O

BIJENKORF AURORA

NEW AMSTERDAM COURTHOUSE

AMSTERDAM AIRPORT SCHIPHOL TERMINAL

Amsterdam projects_KAAN Architecten © KAAN Architecten

SPOT

A more actual example can be found in Overhoeks, located north of the city centre, along the river IJ. It is currently under development by Amvest with both owner-occupied and private-sector rental apartments. In this context of the coherent masterplan by Geurst & Schulze from 2003, KAAN Architecten is designing two different residential projects named The Stack and Blok O. For The Stack, the challenge was to translate and express the oxymoron of individuality and collectivity, which are both seen as specific qualities in this kind of urban living. With this project, KAAN Architecten experimented with a maximum variety of floorplans, including 120 unique apartments. Two big villas connected by a shared deck and garden merge these individual units into one project. In Blok O, another approach was chosen: Elegance by refined building contours and elongated balcony slabs. This increases spaciousness and views while giving a feeling of privacy and seclusion within a relaxed, green, and healthy living environment.

The Stack_KAAN Architecten © Zes x Zes

More to the west and across the IJ, another old ship- and dockyard area is transforming. As the port activity was slowly abandoned, the area developed into a mix of residential and commercial properties, and the site was put under heritage protection by UNESCO. Built in the early 60s, De Walvis (Dutch for ‘the whale’) is now the only remaining office building on Bickerseiland. Although modern at its conception, the building no longer complied with contemporary workplace standards. The Maarsen Groep commissioned KAAN Architecten for a complete strip-down and renovation of the building. The emphasis was put on sustainable reuse and bringing in ergonomic qualities such as more daylight, increasing the interior heights, and upgrading all installations to the highest standards – leading to the BREEAM Excellent certification.

De Walvis_KAAN Architecten © Sebastian van Damme

Located at the heart of the city, between Dam Square, Damrak and Beursplein, one can find De Bijenkorf, the Amsterdam flagship store designed in 1914 by J.A. van Straaten.

KAAN Architecten's restoration of the building brought about two desirable outcomes: it reinforced its strong identity and supported a future-proof framework for further development.

It also reinforces De Bijenkorf’s high-quality retail experience strategy.

De Bijenkorf_KAAN Architecten © De Bijenkorf

The building’s position on a central axis through Amsterdam, the Damrak, calls for the entrances to be reinvigorated so that all three entry points have the same stature. This is further strengthened by a new escalator on the Dam side, liberating the monumental staircase.

This intervention was a new phase in the department store's history, which is now showcased through the different columns and ceiling shapes.

On the corner of the Stadhouderskade and the Overtoom, the iconic Aurora building is heading towards a sustainable future. KAAN Architecten is designing the striking corner building commissioned

by BEING, transforming it into a state-of-the-art office location with international allure.

The Aurora building is a prominent landmark at the intersection of the centre, Zuid and West and is one of Amsterdam's first modernist anchor points. It was designed by the renowned Dutch architect Piet Zanstra for the Aurora life insurance company in the 1960s. The renovation of Aurora combines character preservation with innovation. The ambition is to modernise and make the building more sustainable while respecting its history and unique features.

De Bijenkorf_KAAN Architecten © De Bijenkorf

One of the larger urban transformations in Amsterdam is in the southeast part of the city. In this area, the SPOT project originates from the question of redeveloping the Hogehilweg area, characterised by a series of typical low-density and monofunctional mirror glass office blocks from the 1980-90s, surrounded by a sprawl of parking lots. This neighbourhood will be transformed into a cosmopolitan mixed-use part of the city over the next few years. KAAN Architecten, commissioned by COD and DUQER, has designed the masterplan for the area that establishes different atmospheres simultaneously, creating both an intimate inner-city environment and an expanding metropolis, the village and the city in one.

What is particular about this project is that it was not initiated by the city with a development vision as an integral approach but rather by their private clients who came into possession of some plots in the area. The design strategy was that those plots would be developed independently of a larger scale approach but that the plan could trigger such a larger scale development. During the planning phase, the municipality joined forces, envisioned the central Hondsrugpark, and redesigned the mobility plan for the area.

SPOT_KAAN Architecten © PF Visual

The rapid development of Amsterdam has also significantly expanded the city’s infrastructure. A good demonstration of this is the new metro line, which opened in 2018 and connects the North and South within 15 minutes. Additionally, architects and city planners have put forward plans to increase the capacity of the public transport network by transforming stations and keeping up the quantity and quality of mobility.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol also needed to invest in new facilities due to the influx of passengers and to be able to maintain a high-quality passenger experience. As part of Schiphol’s 10-year midterm plan of 2017, KAAN Architecten takes the design lead in collaboration with Estudio Lamela, ABT, and Ineco (working collectively as KL AIR consortium) to plan, design and engineer New Terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

The spatial organisation of the terminal and its functional and architectural design are boosting the existing facilities to update Schiphol and maintain its role as the leading European aviation hub.

Due to the pandemic crisis, the project was put on hold but has recently been rebooted with a shift in ambitions. It is now geared towards phased development, sustainability, and passenger experience.

KL AIR_Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Terminal © Filippo Bolognese

As a multicultural capital with bustling trade and a high quality of life, Amsterdam is attractive to visitors, and global companies are choosing the city’s metropolitan area to establish their European headquarters. This has led to the creation of the Zuidas district, strategically located between Schiphol and Amsterdam city centre, as a combination of Dutch and international businesses and institutions.

KAAN Architecten contributes to the flourishing of this district with the New Amsterdam Courthouse, right at the intersection of the Zuidas and Parnassusweg, where it replaces the previous judicial complex. As the largest courthouse in the country, the building is exemplary in its efficiency and organization, and remarkably integrated into the daily life surrounding it since its completion in 2020.

Courthouse Amsterdam © Fernando Guerra

A city amid globalisation is a challenge and can also be a breeding ground for knowledge. Initiated by Kees Kaan at the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology, the Chair of Complex Projects states that it ‘investigates settlements around the world that are ambiguous in their development and embedded in the process of globalisation.’ Students are encouraged to look critically at their surroundings, gather, organise, and question the complex forces that manifest in our built environment.

In a period where Amsterdam was recovering from a development crisis due to the financial crisis of 2008, the city was frantically searching for new areas to develop after a period of almost full standstill. Therefore, from 2020 until 2021, Complex Projects teamed up with AMS Institute where Kees Kaan serves as a Principal Investigator - and the municipality of Amsterdam and focused on the theme AMSTERDAM 2050. A research-through-design process was developed, as part of which the present urban conditions of the City of Amsterdam were documented and analysed. Through this, the various trends that would direct future urban development were investigated, ultimately resulting in design solutions and visualisations for the predicted development of these locations.

By using Amsterdam as a living laboratory, graduate students, researchers, and teachers have been exploring how these changes might affect the city to provide input for the decision-making of the redevelopment plans for 20252050.

Courthouse Amsterdam © Fernando Guerra

If you want to know more about AMS 2050 research, please check out the dedicated publication: https://books.bk.tudelft.nl/press/catalog/book/696 KAAN Architecten continues to actively contribute to the definition and construction of the city's new image. They have recently engaged in diverse projects ranging from residential buildings to master plans, public institutions, and even international transport hubs. All are located in current hotspots for expansion and, as a result, have given KAAN Architecten a deep understanding of the city's development. The firm's mission for contemporary Amsterdam is to improve the environment by striving for the highest possible quality within each project. Developed around today's context, the projects respond to the current situation but keep a keen eye towards the future. Sustainable, of the highest quality of comfort, and easily comprehensible - each building contributes towards the city’s enhanced future.