Orphanage

The orphanage, located in Amsterdam, was designed in 1955 by Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck. He is seen as one of the most influential protagonists of structuralism. The orphanage, that accommodated 125 children of all ages, is the first example of this movement in architecture and urban planning. The labyrinth like looking building realizes Van Eyck’s vision that the private and collective sphere are closely connected and the ‘distance’ between the urban surroundings and the building itself had to be diminished. The complex pattern of the building becomes homogenous by subjecting all elements to one constructive and structural principle. Special thanks to Paul van den Bragt

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LTS Patrimonium (today: Cygnus Gymnasium)

This school building, nicknamed “The Ship”, was designed and built as a school for Lower Technical Studies: mechanics, blacksmith, electrician, plumbing etc. It is obviously built after Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation. On the roof there is the gymnastics hall. Later on a planetarium was added. Until today, it has always served its purpose as a school.

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Office Building "Leeuwenburg"

Zanstra and his firm designed a number of large-scale office and public buildings in the Netherlands in the 1960s and 70s. The block was built from 1971 to 1977, has accommodated banks and offices in the past and is currently in use as the Faculty of Technology of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (aka ‘Leeuwenburg’). The tower consists of two recessing blocks of fifteen floors. Twelve floors are executed in rectangular concrete panels containing deep frames and windows, and have rounded corners. Three other floors are open galleries with steel railings and recessed glass façades. The lower section at the rear of the block comprises four stepped terraces and is elevated by means of columns of various height. The lowest of these terraces accommodates eight tubular ventilator shafts of steel, which have been sculpturally arranged as to resemble a flower. The entrance is situated between the tower block and the lower section. Special thanks to David Geneste

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Hoofdgebouw Vrije Universiteit

The main building of the VU University of Amsterdam, a design by Christiaan Nielsen and others under the name of Architectengroep 69, was originally housing the departments of Law, Economics, Theology and Humanities. It is located in the south of the city, at de Boelelaan 1105, right across from the city's main office (re)development area "Zuidas".

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