A hand placing a green acrylic core into the white grid of the model

Hamerkwartier

Project
Hamerkwartier
Client & Architect
BETA office for architecture and the city
Location
Amsterdam, NL
Materials
Cast Acrylic and PVC
Concept Model
1:500

Located in the Hamerblok in Amsterdam Noord, this project designed by BETA office for architecture and the city aimed to test and (dis)prove different guidelines and typologies for the site. The design revolved around an adaptable and thought-out grid that smartly incorporated companies, commercial spaces and housing and architecturally mixed industrial building with contemporary design.

model created during a tenure at BETA office for architecture and the city. Ownership credited to the firm.

  • Top view of the block with its transparent housing volumes 1/4
  • A transparent tower with green cores beside the lower blocks 2/4
  • The triangular block with the tower and the elevated street 3/4
  • 1:500 concept model of the Hamerkwartier: a white PVC grid with transparent and green acrylic towers 4/4

The monotony of this block is broken by integrating an urban street and intersections at different heights, which serve both the mixed-use ground floor and the elevated city level. When deconstructing the model, the smart grid and various components of the project become clearly visible.

In a separate block, the integration of existing architecture made the grid and its interventions to become more localized. Nonetheless, the model's stackable and transparent nature effectively demonstrates the adaptability and interchangeability of the design.

We aimed to create a model that not only showcases different design options but also remains readable as a concise and well-thought-out future part of the city. The model uses three materials – white PVC, coloured acrylic and transparent acrylic – to represent the three main elements of the design: urban elements, cores/vertical routing and housing typologies. The stackable and interchangeable nature of the model reflects the adaptive nature of the project, allowing the transparent parts to be easily replaced to demonstrate different options and facilitate interactive discussions. The built mass clearly illustrates the vertical routing and how it incorporates in the overall design. This concept of bringing urbanity and communal spaces into the housing typology was an integral part of the project. The contrast between the green colour and transparent layers accentuates these features, giving the maquette the distinct identity of a three-dimensional diagram.

  • The bare white grid with the urban street at different heights 1/6
  • The grid with the green cores in place 2/6
  • The second block with its transparent towers 3/6
  • The block without its housing volumes 4/6
  • The same block with a green core added 5/6
  • The block with all housing volumes stacked in place 6/6
1:50 concept model of the ZOHO housing block: white foam terraces with black figures and golden greenery