Honorable Mention for Station Wildeman
On June 4th, the BNA Building of the Year event was held in Amsterdam’s monumental Centrale Markthal. We’re honored that Station Wildeman was awarded the honorable mention for this prestigious national architecture prize. SAWA by Mei Architects & Planners was awarded the jury prize and the Schoonhovens College by Geurst & Schulze Architecten won the popular Vote.
The jury was composed of Winnie Sorgdrager (former Justice Minister, chair), Richelle de Jong (DP6 Architectuurstudio), Khashayar Ghiabi (More Space Development), Uri Gilad (Office Winhov) and Esther Agricola (BPD).
An excerpt from the jury statement:
“Building on the architecture of the post-war building with its clean lines and wide window bands, BETA designed a timber addition and a light-filled entrance area adjacent to the entrance square. A yellow letter W adorns the facade; a logo that radiates pride, and is echoed inside in the form of an impressive steel W-frame. This is a charming project with a unique program, in which much has been achieved with limited resources,” according to the jury.
“The architect worked closely with the client and residents, and carefully considered the building’s existing qualities. The stairwells were restored, and a partition wall removed to let in natural light. Thanks to a clever use of color, the building looks fresh again. With a new elevator, it is now accessible to everyone. The jury sincerely hopes that this project will inspire others to approach urban renewal by building on what already exists. Because there are many neighborhoods in the Netherlands that could use a Station Wildeman.”
Read the full Jury Statement here
Since 2006, the BNA Building of the Year is the annual Dutch architecture prize for excellence in architecture. In addition to architectural quality, the prize commends social value, usability, quality of collaboration and overall impact. This annual prize is awarded by the BNA, the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects.
This result would not have been possible without the inspiring collaboration between neighborhood residents, social entrepreneurs, the municipality and of course the builders: Stichting Samenwonen-Samenleven, the City of Amsterdam, Strackee Bouwadviesbureau and Hegeman Bouw & Infra and of course the amazing team at BETA.