Office and retail Kalverstraat
Amsterdam
2020-2023
Office and retail Kalverstraat
Amsterdam
2020-2023
Renovation and transformation of office building and retail space
Address: Kalverstraat 48-52, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 269-271
Gross floor area: 2.500 m²
Client: Kroonenberg Groep
Architecture and interior design: Office Winhov
Team: Uri Gilad, Inez Tan, Leon Kentrop, Caroline Versteden, András Szél
Contractor: Salverda
Structural engineer: Van Rossum
Advice installations: Nelissen
Photography: Stefan Müller
Office and retail Kalverstraat
Amsterdam
2020-2023

A complex cluster of buildings between Amsterdam’s iconic shopping street Kalverstraat and Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal grew together over time. With the change in the fashion retail industry and the increasing need for densification in the historical urban fabric, it was time for a rigorous transformation and reorganisation. In order to activate a collection of buildings into retail and office spaces, the unique qualities and characters of each building were separately defined. This was done by untangling the volumes and letting in the light. The three-level retail space on the Kalverstraat is highlighted by a completely new natural stone façade. This façade is characterized by its deep relief, reflecting both the building’s historical parcellation and its new use. Meanwhile, the second and third floors above were redeveloped as offices that are connected with a light double-height space to the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. The connecting space now forms the heart of the ensemble, with a new family of façades enabling light workspaces. The interiors are characterized by a careful selection of materials that reflect the building's modern reuse.

Office and retail Kalverstraat
Amsterdam
2020-2023
The new façade and the historic alley
The new façade in the Kalverstraat, photo Luuk Kramer
The original three buildings, 1886 A continuous double-height plinth joins the buildings together, 1960 A complete retail building, without apartments above, 1970 The new façade refers to the three original buildings, 2023
The original three buildings, 1886
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The closed façade at the start of the project, photo Office Winhov There is a double-height shop plinth with offices above
The closed façade at the start of the project, photo Office Winhov
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The deep relief of the new façade
A light double-height office entrance with adjacent workspaces
Before the transformation: <br>Over the years the buildings got tied together After the transformation: <br>A clear route is created by loosening the buildings
Before the transformation:
Over the years the buildings got tied together
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The view from the office space: the hidden church next door
The light-coloured aluminium of the rear façade
The long section from Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal to Kalverstraat The long section from Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal to Kalverstraat
The long section from Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal to Kalverstraat
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Isometric view of the multifunctional use of the office space
The spiral staircase forms the centrepiece of the office building
During the demolition a new basement was discovered, photo Luuk Kramer
View from the entrance hall towards the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal