Less than one and a half kilometres east of Amsterdam’s main train station lies a 14-hectare site, which most inhabitants of the city have never set foot in. In 2015, the former site of the Dutch marine corps was opened to the public for the first time. The military will completely vacate the buildings by 2018.
Building 27E is located at the western edge of the site with a view towards the city centre. Together with its formerly identical twin, the building was built in the late 1950s and initially served as a training academy for budding technicians. At their eastern ends the two blocks are connected by a single-story adjoining structure. Typical for its time, the building is raised on pilotis and has a reinforced concrete frame, allowing flexibility of use and layout of floor plans.
Whilst the southern building was already renovated in the 1990s, building 27E remained vacant. This presented the Dutch state with a unique opportunity to regenerate the site, particularly as the Netherlands was hosting the EU presidency during the first half of 2016. In 2014, Bureau SLA was awarded the contract to transform the former marine academy, this time into an administration and conference building.
Building 27E is located at the western edge of the site with a view towards the city centre. Together with its formerly identical twin, the building was built in the late 1950s and initially served as a training academy for budding technicians. At their eastern ends the two blocks are connected by a single-story adjoining structure. Typical for its time, the building is raised on pilotis and has a reinforced concrete frame, allowing flexibility of use and layout of floor plans.
Whilst the southern building was already renovated in the 1990s, building 27E remained vacant. This presented the Dutch state with a unique opportunity to regenerate the site, particularly as the Netherlands was hosting the EU presidency during the first half of 2016. In 2014, Bureau SLA was awarded the contract to transform the former marine academy, this time into an administration and conference building.