Archinect - News

MVRDV adds a protective design to Aldo van Eyck's Tripolis complex in Amsterdam

2024-11-05T15:41:00-05:00

MVRDV has completed the restoration of Aldo Van Eyck’s Tripolis Park office complex in Amsterdam.

The project, which founder Winy Maas says was deeply personal to him as a fan of the eccentric late Structuralist master, re-establishes two buildings within the monumental original design to cater to Uber and other high-end tenants while greening the site and constructing a new 12-story 'landscraper' to protect against vehicular noise pollution.

Image: © Ossip van Duivenbode

The complex links to one of Van Eyck’s most beloved designs, the Amsterdam Orphanage from 1960. MVRDV felt it was their responsibility to protect both its future and the architectural character of the Tripolis buildings’ facades—an act which required careful research done in unison with surviving Van Eyck family members and his available archives.

Image: © Ossip van Duivenbode

The work they performed thereafter included adding an all-wood cladding material outside, while designing a more usable office environment i...

MVRDV to convert structuralist icon in the Netherlands into a new residential district

2022-06-16T19:16:00-04:00

MVRDV is transforming the famed Herman Hertzberger-designed Centraal Beheer building in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn into a sustainable, green residential neighborhood. MVRDV will work alongside Hertzberger's office, AHH to revitalize the celebrated structure. Certitudo Capital commissioned the project in an effort to expand the three-hectare site near the city's train station. MVRDV's design introduces approximately 650 to 800 homes and prioritizes heritage preservation, greening, and innovation.

The Centraal Beheer building was originally designed for an insurance company, noted for its influential and revolutionary office design when it opened in 1972. The building consists of four quadrants, divided by two central "streets" that form the social heart of the building. A collection of 30-foot cubes come together at varying levels to give the structure its distinctive form.

In 2015, the building was purchased by Certitudo Capital and the surrounding site to convert it into a multif...

The Pompidou Centre to get a €100M facelift

2017-01-20T12:33:00-05:00

Even the most punk of buildings eventually gets older. The Pompidou Centre in Paris, the landmark contemporary art museum designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, turns forty this year. To mark its birthday, the museum will get a two-year long facelift estimated to cost at least €100 million.

The renovations will include replacing the “caterpillar”, the famous escalators on the front of the building, but won’t result in any changes to the building’s overall appearance. Additionally, museum officials are hoping that renovations can occur without closing the Centre.

Part of the reason the building needs the renovation is that its innovative design, which comprises putting the inner workings of the building on its exterior, has led to increased wear and tear. Back in the day, its appearance caused a ton of controversy. But today, the museum is witnessing a rise in attendance that surpasses either the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay.