Bredius
If there was one tender architect Ludo Grooteman wished to win, it was this one. “It was a super fun process, and we won on architecture and urban planning, but it was just not enough.” Bredius is located in the Spaarndammer neighbourhood of Amsterdam. This final block in the neighbourhood, bordering on the timber ports and the railway, has been constructed in the tradition of the Amsterdam School style. An architectural style that stems from a time of optimism, with radically new designs and distinctive material innovations.
Programme
129 apartments and social functions
Surface
11.000 m² GFA
Architect
Ludo Grooteman
Team
Rada Ruijter, Luis Garcia
Year
2021
Status
Design competition
Location
Amsterdam
Client
Bébouw Midreth
Landscape
Loos van Vliet
Sustainable
Ludo: “Our starting point was to follow the style of the Amsterdam School in terms of form and innovation, with an extra focus on sustainability.” Thus the architect partially replaced the characteristic brick façades with wooden ones. The result is so energy-efficient that it can be called ‘lazy’.
Amsterdam School 2.0
The iconic architecture of the building seamlessly aligns with that of the existing neighbourhood from a century ago and is, at the same time, entirely contemporary. “The design embodies the ideals of our time: taking better care of the planet, having an eye for what is vulnerable, and collaborating more. We aim to inspire and provide quality that lasts at least 100 years,” says the architect.
Behind the scenes
Not only was the task inspiring, so was the team that worked on it. “And that deserves to be said. We always put our heart and soul into tenders, even the ones we do not win. The team, including Bébouw, was passionate and dedicated. A huge pleasure to work with.”