De bazel

The conversion and renovation of the former bank in the Vijzelstraat in Amsterdam to house the municipal archives was already a prestigious assignment and expectations were high. That allure is connected both with the genesis and symbolic value of the building and with the new public function which is at odds with the closed typology of a bank building. The new design treats the original design by K.P.C. De Bazel with respect. Firstly, many original qualities of the building, which had been lost in the course of its use, were restored to their former glory. The most prominent example of this is the restoration of the two lightwells, allowing more natural light to reach the ground floor and the inside street. Other interventions and new... More