Rens van Dijk
Heritage & Architecture
Searching for identity
Creating an Alpha campus at the Binnengasthuis
In the course of more than six centuries, the Binnengasthuis developed a distinct identity as a hidden world within the city centre of Amsterdam. However, after the departure of the academic hospital in the nineteen eighties, the University of Amsterdam would use the vacant hospital buildings. The serene enclave was exposed to the city by several interventions. This resulted in a radical change of the identity of the Binnengasthuis. Plans to create an Alpha campus at the Binnengasthuis were held back by the municipality and local residents, fearing further deterioration of the identity. This project, Searching for identity, presents a plan for creating an Alpha campus at the Binnengasthuis, which does embrace the historical and existing identity of the location. The new intervention seeks to restore the historical identity on every scale of the project, from urban to detail.