In 2025, Amsterdam celebrates its 750th anniversary. Over the centuries, the Dutch capital has reinvented itself many times – also architecturally: transformation, conversion and renovation of existing structures have always been part of everyday urban development. To this day, the building culture is characterized by the dynamism, internationalism and outward-looking perspective of a growing metropolis. The challenge of creating new living space where further expansion of the city is no longer possible is met by the young architecture scene with ingenuity, pragmatic and unconventional approaches. The book “Amsterdam. Urban Architecture and Living Environments” takes this development as its starting point and the readers on a city stroll to a total of thirty outstanding contemporary buildings. On over 300 pages, divided into five chapters – Living, Mixed Use, Education and Culture, Transformation, Public Space – the authors Anneke Bokern and Sandra Hofmeister document the most exciting projects of Amsterdam’s current architecture scene. Among them are floating houses, hotels in former bridge keepers' cottages, and carefully renovated cultural monuments such as the Felix Meritis or a bicycle garage under a harbour basin. Particular attention is given to distinctive yet pragmatic examples of urban housing, defined by unconventional living concepts, adaptive reuse strategies, and thoughtful revitalisation efforts, and realised by young, experimental studios – including korthtielens, Space&Matter, ANA und Elephant. Generous photographs and comprehensive descriptions paint an accurate picture of the individual projects. They are supplemented by detailed drawings and plans which – as usual – have been redrawn to a Detail standard. Beyond that, essays and interviews with the protagonists of architecture take a look behind the scenes of their ideas workshop. They focus, for example, on new forms of housing, adaptive architectural concepts and the rediscovery of the former port and commercial areas on the banks of the IJ. These contributions complete the picture of a vibrant and forward-looking architectural
culture.
Essays by: Kirsten Hannema and Anneke Bokern.
Interviews with: Gus Tielens und Marcel Lok, Olaf Gipser, Jan Peter Wingender and Uri Gilad
English :
Anneke Bokern, Sandra Hofmeister (edd), Amsterdam. Urban Architecture and Living Environments, 25x19,5 cm, Softcover, 312 pages, many illustrations, Edition Detail, München 2025
Deutsch:
Anneke Bokern, Sandra Hofmeister (Hgg.), Amsterdam. Urbane Architektur und Lebensräume, 25x19,5 cm, Softcover, 312 Seiten, zahlreiche Abbildungen, Edition Detail, München 2025
