De Walvis
Built in the early 60s, De Walvis (Dutch for ‘the whale’) is the only remaining office building on Bickerseiland in Amsterdam. Although modern at its time, the building no longer complied with modern standards. De Walvis was stripped down to its bones and completely revitalised to accommodate new workspaces for tech and media firms.
The ground floor lobby is set back, seemingly detaching the building from its footing, while the removal of the roof’s heavy entablature lightens the previously pressed-down structure. The stacked floors are optically separated with horizontal bands drawn around the building, extending a metre beyond the original façade. These overhangs appear solid but are light, hollow, metal constructions. Recessed glazing further enhances the effect of ‘floating’ floors, with the windows going from floor to ceiling in almost invisible vertical rebates. Portholes have been incorporated into the glazing in a tight rhythm, referencing the area’s maritime history. The big windows provide views over the neighbourhood and allow daylight to pour in. The result helps de Walvis achieve a new lightness and exuding sustainability, for which the building’s regeneration has been awarded the BREEAM Excellent certificate.
Info
- Location
- Amsterdam, NL
- Date
- 2017–2020
- Size
- 10,400 sqm
- Client
- Maarsen Groep
- Team
- Aldo Trim, Alice Colombo, Andreas Alevras, Christian Sluijmer, Dikkie Scipio, Hana Mohar, Jennifer Nam, Joeri Spijkers, Joost Harteveld, Katarzyna Seweryn, Kees Kaan, Laura Ospina, Michael Geensen, Nicki van Loon, Paolo Faleschini, Rita Alessio, Sebastiaan Buitenhuis, Timo Cardol, Vincent Panhuysen, Ziwei Zhu
- Photography
- Sebastian van Damme, Dominique Panhuysen
- General contractor
- Dura Vermeer Onderhoud en Renovatie Midden West
- Construction manager
- Aronsohn Raadgevende Ingenieurs
- Structural engineer
- Pieters Bouwtechniek
- Technical installations advisor
- Huygen Installatie adviseurs
- Mechanical and plumbing engineer
- Klimaatservice Holland
- Electrical engineer
- Van den Pol Elektrotechniek
- Building physics, fire safety and acoustics advisor
- DGMR
