Jakoba Mulderhuis

Forming a welcoming gateway to the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) campus, the new Jakoba Mulderhuis bridges the academic world and the city. It gracefully embraces the past through a dynamic relationship with its surroundings, while its flexible interior leaves space to accommodate future educational requirements. Advancing the notion of furthering knowledge through personal exchanges, a high degree of transparency and fluidity, places meetings and accidental encounters at the heart of the building in our soaring, light-filled atrium. Designed by Powerhouse Company together with Marc Koehler Architects and Architekten Cie, the new university center houses facilities for disciplines from building engineering to aviation. These are revealed to each other – and encouraged to mix – by the soft edges of our atrium. Each department has its own floor, with a showcase terrace forming its lively public face. The newly placed volume interacts harmoniously with the existing Theo Thijssenhuis, designed by Friedhoff in 1958. The material of the new façade and the rhythm of the windows blend in a fascinating way. The proportions of the volumes are carefully tuned together. The result is a visual dialogue between the old and the new. Through this intervention, the building embodies the concept of further knowledge through human interaction. The atrium’s soft edges also ensure a balance with the existing buildings next door, while the off-center landmark tower and lower-level block together make an emphatic yet friendly gesture to the outside world. We chose Jura Limestone for the Jakoba Mulderhuis’ facade – rich, warm, yet neutral. The site marks the entrance to the university campus from Amsterdam’s historic center. Our design consists of three elements: a 13-story tower, a 6-story ‘urban block’ and a huge atrium that connects these volumes to the existing Theo Thijssenhuis building. Open, flexible spaces in the interior ensure adaptability is built in for future developments in education and technology. By slicing into the space to create the layered effect of the atrium, we ensured that every department would be visible from the ground floor.