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Triangular archway in the Amsterdam Polspotten store
CategoriesInterior Design

Space Projects creates Amsterdam store with thatched hut for Polspotten

By Zarkon Group,

A curvilinear thatched hut has been paired with terracotta-hued tiles at the Amsterdam store for homeware brand Polspotten, which was designed by local studio Space Projects.

The studio created the store to straddle a shop and an office for Polspotten, a furniture and home accessories brand headquartered in the Dutch capital.

Triangular archway in the Amsterdam Polspotten storeTriangular archway in the Amsterdam Polspotten store
Visitors enter the Polspotten store via an oversized triangular entranceway

Characterised by bold angles and arches, the outlet features distinctive terracotta-coloured walls and flooring that nod to traditional pots, Space Projects founder Pepijn Smit told Dezeen.

“The terracotta-inspired colours and materials refer to the brand’s first product, ‘potten’ – or pots,” said Smit, alluding to the first Spanish pots imported by Erik Pol when he founded Polspotten in the Netherlands in 1986.

Plush cream sofa within Amsterdam homeware storePlush cream sofa within Amsterdam homeware store
The interconnected spaces are delineated by cutouts

Located in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighbourhood, the store was arranged across a series of open-plan rooms, interconnected by individual geometric entryways.

Visitors enter at a triangular opening, which was cut away from gridded timber shelving lined with multicoloured pots that mimic totemic artefacts in a gallery.

Curvilinear thatched hutCurvilinear thatched hut
A curvilinear thatched hut provides a meeting space

The next space features a similar layout, as well as a plump cream sofa with rounded modules and sculptural pots stacked in a striking tower formation.

Travelling further through the store, molten-style candle holders and Polspotten furniture pieces were positioned next to chunky illuminated plinths, which exhibit amorphously shaped vases finished in various coral-like hues.

Accessed through a rectilinear, terracotta-tiled opening, the final space features a bulbous indoor hut covered in thatch and fitted with a light pink opening.

The hut provides a meeting space for colleagues, according to the studio founder.

“The thatch, as a natural material, absorbs sound as well,” explained Smit.

Clusters of pots next to a circular tableClusters of pots next to a circular table
The store provides an art gallery-style space for homeware

Next to the hut, Space Projects created an acoustic wall illustrated with “hieroglyphics” of Polspotten products, which references the gallery-like theme that runs throughout the outlet.

“The store was inspired by Polspotten’s use of traditional techniques combined with a collage of their reinterpreted archetypes,” said Smit.

Office space at PolspottenOffice space at Polspotten
It is also used as an office space

Elsewhere in Amsterdam, Dutch practice Studio RAP used 3D printing and algorithmic design to create a “wave-like” facade for a boutique store while interior designer Linda Bergroth created the interiors for the city’s Cover Story paint shop to streamline the redecorating process for customers.

The photography is by Kasia Gatkowska.

Reference

Stories housing from afar and the buildings that surround it
CategoriesArchitecture

Planted balconies surround Stories housing in Amsterdam

By Zarkon Group,

Dutch studio Olaf Gipser Architects has worked with housing cooperative BSH20A to create an apartment block in the Netherlands that aims to provide residents with a “communal, sustainable and healthy urban living” environment.

Named Stories, the 47-metre-high tower contains 29 apartments and communal living spaces that overlook the harbour at the former industrial district Buiksloterham.

Stories housing from afar and the buildings that surround it
Stories is an apartment block created by Olaf Gipser Architects

Stories, which also features a community cafe and a terrace topped by an urban farm, is shortlisted in the housing project category of the Dezeen Awards 2022.

Olaf Gipser Architects worked with the BSH20A housing cooperative to ensure a “grassroots, democratic decision-making process” for the project, and to develop a design that is intended to be both socially and environmentally sustainable.

Housing block with planted balconies in Amsterdam
The exterior is wrapped in a steel frame

While Stories’ podium and core are made from concrete, the majority of the tower is built from cross-laminated timber (CLT).

The timber superstructure is wrapped in an external frame of white steel, which forms deep balconies and terraces.

Front elevation of Stories housing by Olaf Gipser Architects
The steel frame provides balconies for residents

Planters, some large enough to support trees, are placed across the exterior with the aim of encouraging greater biodiversity to the post-industrial site while also creating privacy screens for the apartments.

“Characteristic to the appearance of the building is its white, industrial-looking facade, conceived as a microclimate zone which grants extensive outdoor spaces in the form of balconies and winter gardens to all dwelling units,” said Olaf Gipser Architects.

“Integrated in the deep facade is also a communal roof for urban farming that is connected to the shared, multifunctional indoor space,” it continued.

Within Stories’ podium is a garage and six commercial units that create a new street frontage along the harbour’s edge. One of these units is currently occupied by a storytelling cafe offering a “social-cultural programme” for residents.

Detail image of the facade and balconies
Planters feature on the balconies

The apartments themselves vary in layout and in size, ranging from between 43 to 182 square metres. However, they all share access to a communal kitchen, gym and sauna.

According to the studio, the apartments follow “open building” principles, meaning changes in their future use can be easily made. For example, there are rooms with dedicated entrances that can function as home offices or be rented out separately.

Interior image of Dutch apartment
The apartments have wooden floors and white walls

Olaf Gipser Architects has finished the Stories apartments with wooden floors and ceilings and white walls to create open, airy spaces.

The larger apartments benefit from wrap-around balconies that allow external access from every room through glass sliding doors.

Balcony with tree planter
The tower overlooks the harbour at Buiksloterham

Alongside Stories, the shortlist for the housing project category in the Dezeen Awards 2022 includes a cluster of four apartments in Mexico by Void Studio and a self-funded apartment building in Melbourne by Austin Maynard Architects.

A cork-clad co-housing scheme in Belgium by OFFICEU also features on the list and was revealed on Monday as the category’s public vote winner.

The photography is by Max Hart Nibbrig.

Reference