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Architects: Marc Koehler Architects, Powerhouse Company, de Architekten Cie
- Area: 27000 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Sebastian van Damme
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Manufacturers: Forbo Flooring Systems, ECOBoard, FELT Acoustic PET Felt, Kvadrat Drops, Kvadrat Drops, Serge Melton , Valchromat MDF coloured
Text description provided by the architects. Jakoba Mulderhuis is situated in a striking location, on the corner of Wibautstraat and Mauritskade, and by the edge of the historical inner city on the Singelgracht canal. Together with Benno Premselahuis, a listed building on the other side of Wibautstraat, Jakoba Mulderhuis forms a gateway to the city. The high-rise structures on both sides of the street lend the setting a monumental quality that connects the architectural elements in the vicinity. Jakoba Mulderhuis comprises a slimline tower (54 meters tall, 13 stories) and a low-rise block (33 meters, 6 stories) on Mauritskade. The positioning of the tower constitutes a work of art from an urban planning perspective. Widening Wibautstraat has created a compelling entrance to the city center.
Former Amsterdam UAS architecture students Marc Koehler (Marc Koehler Architects) and Nanne de Ru (Powerhouse Company) collaborated on the design for Jakoba Mulderhuis and involved de Architekten Cie. in the design team in 2014. The result is a sustainable, flexible educational building with an open character and state-of-the-art facilities, which is entirely tailored to the rich learning environment. Education, research, professional practice and the local area all converge here. The rhythmic play of the façade is imbued with subtle psychology. A pattern running upwards from left to right is visible from all angles. Serving to remind students of progress and development.
The prefab façade was fitted without the use of scaffolding and has been finished with recycled aluminium window frames and natural stone in line with passive construction principles. The Jura limestone is the same color as that of the adjacent Theo Thijssenhuis, ensuring harmony with the surroundings and reinforcing the monumental, future-proof character. The open structure allows for a flexible layout on each floor in the building. Open and closed sections have been varied for each story, fine-tuned to the orientation, view, and solar load.
A grand atrium connects Jakoba Mulderhuis to the adjacent Theo Thijssenhuis, which remained in use during the construction phase. All stories lead into the atrium and have open terraces where students can work on their projects. The atrium lends the building an open character with plenty of natural daylight. What the architects had in mind was a new public sphere serving as a theatrical space for major events and exhibitions on the ground floor and as tiered platforms where students from different disciplines will meet up. A place that fosters creativity and where people enjoy meeting up to show off their work and share their knowledge.
Jakoba Mulderhuis is all about inspiring cross-pollination of ideas in an open, creative environment. Project rooms are facilitated in the form of studios that offer all necessary equipment, methodologies, knowledge and expertise. These nine studios, which focus on areas such as sensor technology, BIM, virtual reality and the energy transition, are spread throughout the building. Thus giving rise to surprising innovations, by means of which Amsterdam UAS will be able to contribute to solving the issues of the future.
