Amsterdam Noord | A Different Side of the City
Video Transcript:
INTRODUCTION
When you think of Amsterdam, what do you picture in your mind?
Most people would say historic canals lined with boats and trees, the beautiful architecture, Row houses, bridges and cobblestone paths. This is how I imagined the entire city until I visited Amsterdam Noord.
A local named Jelte met me at the ferry in Amsterdam Central. From there we headed to Amsterdam Noord. It was an entirely different world. The area was the hub of the city's shipping industry for decades, filled with old warehouses, shipping containers, docks, cranes and ramps. I didn't know what to expect on the ferry heading there, and when we docked, I saw warehouses and shipping containers covered in graffiti and thought, where the hell are we? It was not what I was expecting.
As we docked, I realized that this old shipping yard had been revitalized and repurposed into an experimental live work community with a completely different character and identity from the old City. It appeared so different on the surface, with industrial buildings covered in graffiti, which is allowed and encouraged as a form of public art. The whole area also seemed like it was being reclaimed by nature. It was a stunning radical site, but something felt strangely familiar to me. After learning more about the neighborhood, I started to sense that it had a deeper, more profound connection with the old city of Amsterdam. The similarities, not in the visual character or the architectural language, it was a connection much deeper within the ideas, the culture and the spirit.
When the shipping yard was decommissioned, the city wanted to repurpose the entire area and bring new life to it. They wanted to preserve the character and the heritage and make use of what they had, rather than flattening the entire area and starting from something new.
The area's first residents and newcomers were engaging in a massive experiment, without any knowledge of whether it would work or not. Many people thought that they were crazy and were critical of the proposal. However, more and more people began to move to the area over time. Today, this area of Amsterdam has a vibrant, thriving life. Some of the city's most experimental architecture is happening in the area, and creative companies in the entertainment industry have taken root here. Experimental architecture, housing built on the water, experimental multi-family buildings and architecture testing cutting edge technologies and materials are prolific in the area.
NDSM CULTURAL CENTER
The NDSM Cultural Center is at the heart of Amsterdam Noord. It was a derelict shipbuilding facility turned into an artist workspace with ateliers, cafés and shops in it. It's become a cultural hub for hosting festivals, concerts and other events in the area. The cultural center invites people inside, bringing people together under one large roof. Natural light from the old skylights pours into the industrial space, and breezes from the water move through the large building. The atmosphere inside is inspiring, thinking about the bustling daily activity where creatives and all fields are sharing ideas, collaborating and building community.
EXPERIMENTAL ARCHITECTURE
We visited many of the new experimental architecture, collective housing developments and public gathering spaces. At ground level public plazas, gardens and green spaces surrounded the buildings. In what used to be a concrete filled industrial area, the residents now seem to be welcoming nature back in. Natural meadow-like plantings ran along the walking paths, wild gardens and unkept plant life was everywhere. The co-mingling of industrial buildings with wild plant life created a truly unique atmosphere. It was raw and there seemed like there was no rules.
Jelte had told me about the area's history, which allowed me to see something profound within Dutch culture that I thought needed to be brought to light. So what about Amsterdam Noord seemed to echo the spirit of the old city? It was the spirit of optimism, the willingness to experiment, to work together, to create something with the conditions that they had at hand.
The spirit of the people during the Dutch Golden Age who built the Canal District, still seemed to be alive in Amsterdam's contemporary generation. The original Dutch merchants took a massive risk, building on what was essentially unusable, saturated marshland and made it into what we see today. They collaborated and worked closely together, a skill many attribute to their seafaring heritage. They created social structures in their community to control the water, build dams and dikes, and constructed the canals. Similarly, the people of Amsterdam Nord took what appeared to be a suboptimal area, the abandoned shipyard, and turned it into a new, thriving community for Amsterdam through optimism, perseverance and the willingness to experiment.
They were both willing to adapt, take on new challenges and persevere. They took the time to create something truly unique. It was this culture and mindset of the generations of Dutch people that were the most fruitful discoveries of my journey. I believe it is a culture and a mindset that we can learn a lot from as we build cities and environments for our future.
PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE CITIES
How do we come together in our cities with optimism and a genuine interest in creating environments for people to thrive?
This is a challenging task, and we all have different visions of what a healthy, thriving life looks like. Each area and each city needs to be looked at independently with a nuanced approach. However, in general, there are some fundamental truths that we can begin with. As we move forward, let's refocus our efforts on building cities and neighborhoods that consider other metrics beyond financial return, and look at our environments beyond a financial asset. Yes, they need to pencil out financially, but they can also be assets for humanity, for people and for the future generations health. Let's celebrate an area's idiosyncrasies and local culture. Rather than wipe it clean for an off the shelf housing prototype. An authentic and unique neighborhood will naturally attract people, create identity, and strengthen the community.
Let's set the future communities, culture, health and wellbeing as our highest priorities. Ironically, when we do this, these areas will often lead to better financial assets in the long run because people will want to be there. Shops, restaurants and small businesses will thrive, and the local culture will have depth and texture.
Let's prioritize buildings and public spaces that bring people together. Well-designed, inviting public spaces are the foundation for a tightly woven community fabric where relationships are built, and play, interaction, transactions, and friendship occur. This is what thriving cities are made of.
I've been on a journey around the world looking for environments that support human health, well-being, and authentic expression.
Where are the places that you feel promote human thriving? Leave it in the comments and maybe we'll go there next.
If you like this message, please visit rostarchitects.com and check out more of our architectural work, our writing, interviews and other videos. Thanks so much.
MENTIONS
CityLoop, a brand of ArchiTour, offers private Architectural Tours in Amsterdam and Rotterdam for small private groups. They have an abundance of knowledge about the city, as well as the people and culture that are constantly shaping it. Thank you to Jelte Van Koperen for the tour around Amsterdam Noord, in depth knowledge on housing and behind the scenes of all the newest developments in the area.
About ROST Architects:
In addition to practicing architecture, principal and founder of ROST Architects, Mitchell Rocheleau AIA, searches the world to learn more about the buildings and cities humans have created, from the modern era to prehistory. Through writing, expert interviews, and video documentation, we hope to make our journey available and accessible. Our mission is to understand the environments humans have created throughout history, learn from the successes and failures, and contribute to designing a better future.
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