Anne Frank House

The design is a combination of new-build and restoration. The new-build had to fit in the city as if it had always been there and not shout down the houses around. The bricks and the colours of the window and door frames wed the colour scheme with that of the city, while the detailing resumes the layers and grids of the canal fronts. The Anne Frank House is restored as closely as possible to its original state. By stationing the entrance and exit far apart flows of visitors are kept separate; the Anne Frank Foundation and the houses included in the plan have entrances of their own. A light court creates a front section of house and Annex, and the split level and glazing round the void make for an open, transparent interior. The houses are fully oriented to the church (Westerkerk) and the south, and separated by a long passage from the offices on that floor. Hatches acting as sunbreaks shift with changes in the weather generating a facade which itself is constantly changing.