#wozoco

“WoZoCo’s Apartments for Elderly People”, Amsterdam-Osdorp, The Netherlands [1994-1997] _ Architects: MVRDV / Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries. “El Croquis”, “N.86, MVRDV / Maas - van Rijs - de Vries, 1991-1997″, pp. 74-87.

As a follower of Dutch architects MVRDV, I took the opportunity during a study trip to Amsterdam, to experience their work in the real. It was inspiring to see their colourfully recognisable aesthetic in two very different projects, with very different end users and very different budgets!

Firstly, at WoZoCo, the first housing complex realised by MVRDV in 1997. The suburban complex comprises of 100 apartment units, entirely for the elderly. The building’s shape, with numerous cantilevers, is the result of an imposed height restriction; which for me, proves that constraints inspire innovation. The bold design evolved out of a need for more living space, and the result is not a series of identical white boxes, but apartments with individual character and outlooks. If it weren’t for the suspended dwellings ‘changing window positions, balcony sizes and material uses’, would the architectural tourists still be venturing outside the city of Amsterdam? 

In contrast to this, in 2016 MVRDV transformed a former residential townhouse, into Chanel’s flagship Amsterdam store. The new glass façade, mimics the terracotta brickwork of the upper storeys, retaining the original architectural style. As a designer, it is exciting to realise that emerging, pioneering technologies can be used to reinvent a building without losing any of its original character. What appears to be a simple exchange of materials has resulted in a striking, one of a kind space and a new understanding of glass construction. 

Another visually impactful project of MVRDV, completed in 2017, is the Binhai Public Library. At a time in the UK when libraries are continuing to close*, China has built a 33,700m2 public reading space, in the north-eastern seaport of Tianjin. However, this voluminous, light filled ‘art installation’ is far from the outdated, stuffy, silent spaces we might associate with public libraries. Have China and MVRDV realised the library of the future, or could the use of physical books still face a decline, in a country where ‘internet penetration is still only at 50% - half that of Northern Europe’? According to MVRDV ‘the most prominent feature of this public library, is its giant eye shaped atrium. This alerts us to the building’s main function: a place to see and be seen’. Giving a space a secondary, social function is a tactic that has also been adopted by galleries and retail stores, as they too are under threat of being replaced by the internet. With up to date technologies and adaptability, the library has set itself up to play an important part in increasing digital access for the local community, and therefore will evolve as a place for knowledge, media and social gathering. 

WoZoCo

MVRDV

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

WoZoCo

MVRDV

Amsterdam, The Netherlands