Designed by Kossmanndejong and Loerakker Olsson Architects, Beth Haim—Hebrew for ‘House of Life’—is one of the oldest Sephardic cemeteries in the world. The cemetery serves as a testament to the Portuguese and Jewish community of Amsterdam, displaying graves from the 17th century and beyond.

Kossmanndejong and Loerakker Olsson Architects sought to translate the transient nature of the historic cemetery onto the materials used in the design. Featuring a façade embedded with broken masonry, delicate natural stone features, and weathered brass doors upon entrance, this sense of transience is completed with the roof construction of untreated solid oak and benches to match.

The exterior, interior, architecture, and exhibition design of Beth Haim are intertwined—stemming from a central pavilion space upon entry. Relating in color and materiality to the historical environment, this is translated to a contemporary interpretation. Between rounded corners and broken masonry, the circular shape is a symbol for life and death.

The accessibility of Beth Haim to the public is prioritized through open paths embedded in the landscape and the placement of benches at vista-like resting spaces. The site also features spaces set aside from the outer structure and dedicated for rest—to ritually wash hands or to take a kippah. The outer landscape includes bridges that serve to seam together previously fragmented parts of the cemetery. Open to the public, Beth Haim may be visited Sunday through Friday from sunrise to sunset.