Schinkel Office Expansion

Kantoor de Schinkel was originally realised in 1968 by architect Arthur Staal in a prominent location on the bank of the Schinkel River in Amsterdam. The existing building is a 7-storey rectangular office block built with a 2-storey wedge shaped plinth that conforms to the plot. The structure is faced with prefab concrete panels and the main office is crowned with a brick roof substructure that tapers at the corners in raised points.

The approach was to remove the lower 2-storey plinth and place two additional volumes on the plot. These are linked to the existing office floors with skybridges to create covered terraces for the office occupants and open views through the development for the neighbourhood. By raising the floorplates and reducing the footprint on the plot, the design enhances the ground level public space with pedestrian and cycling thoroughfares below. A timber dock provides access to the water and connects with the food and beverage offerings in the podium levels.

The forms of the additional buildings are shaped and tapered to maximise the visibility and access through the site whilst maintaining large, connected office floors. Penetrations in the skybridges create lightwells for the spaces below.

The existing building is extended to 9 floors, topped with a double height conference facility with expansive views over Amsterdam, and crowned again with a reconstruction of the existing peaked brick substructure.