1930s building restored to its former glory

In 2012, Caransa Group purchased the once highly progressive building at Scheldeplein 1-5 in Amsterdam with the goal of restoring it to its former glory. The 1930s building was architecturally quite neglected. Dok Architecten has embraced the original image and added another residential floor in the same style, or so it seems. Indeed, a surprise awaits at the top.

The building dates back to 1931 and in its early years housed car company Sieberg with a showroom on the floors. "In the 1970s it was bought by the Knijn family and the building was transformed into a bowling center. The (parking) garage on the second floor has always remained," Patrick Cannon, partner of Dok Architects, knows after extensive historical research. "When Caransa Group knocked on our door with the redevelopment plans, we found a rather neglected property. A number of iconic elements had disappeared. For example, the bay windows at the front had been smashed shut, the beautiful glass facade had been replaced by large and coarse steel frames, and little was left of the iconic clock tower. Quite apart from the many advertisements that were haphazardly affixed to the building and disrupted the image."

The idea behind Dok Architects' design was to bring the building back to life. "Not a building with an elevation, but a completely new redevelopment in the grandeur of yesteryear," Cannon emphasizes. "The facades have been returned to their original state as much as possible with a window layout in small panes, a tenon division that has been extended from bottom to top, and the turret that has been 'topped up' to bring it back into proportion. When the old steel frames were removed, the beautiful natural stone detailing reappeared. The elements were cleaned and also restored to their former glory. Furthermore, all joints were removed and replaced with the original cut joints. A new entrance was also provided for access to the parking garage on the second floor, Knijn Bowling on the second floor and the nine apartments on the third floor."

So the third floor is completely new and the surprise of the building. From the outside, you can't actually see that a floor has been added to the building. "That was also the premise," Cannon says. "Residents, however, enter a completely different 'world' on the third floor. We've created a kind of interior Mediterranean-style street on which the entrance to all nine apartments is located. Absolutely unique, and that in the heart of Amsterdam! The residents also have access to their own parking space and storage in the parking garage on the second floor." 

According to Cannon, realizing the addition was technically challenging. "There were not many (construction) drawings available of the original building. Gradually, we had to make adjustments all the time. For example, the foundation was reinforced and piles were added. To save weight, the topping was constructed with a steel structure and a steel plate concrete floor with lightweight concrete. Vibration dampers were also installed between the topping and the original building to separate the parts vibration-free. Finally, a basement was also constructed under part of the building."

So all in all, quite a drastic redevelopment, but the result is worth it. Amsterdam is one more landmark, with a hidden piece of Mediterranean as the icing on the cake.