Hasta La Ideas

Behold this “artist impression” by Benthem Crouwel Architects of the glass roof on a new bus station behind the Amsterdam Central Station, currently under construction. The vast, curved roof is adorned with the word AMSTERDAM in large red-with-orange letters.

Click images to enlarge.

Building commenced in April 2011. Today, in September 2012, the middle section of the roof is still missing, so all we can see is AM…RDAM. (The letters STE won’t be inserted until 2013, when construction of the underground North-South tram line at this location is expected to be finished.)

Being worrisome by nature, we typographers can’t help expressing some concerns: did the architects and roofers calculate everything exactly right? Will the missing letters fit into the remaining space? And did the roofers adhere to proper kerning specifications?

Fact: the word AMSTERDAM starts and ends with the letter combination AM.

The first worrisome fact: the space between the first A and M is five windows …

… but between the second A and M – oh, horror – it is only four.

AM 1: five windows (close-up)

AM 2: four windows (close-up)

In addition to this internal kerning error we must point to a possibly even more worrisome fact. The distance from the word AMS… to the left side of the roof is forty-nine windows …

… whereas to the right side of …DAM we count only forty-six. The word AMSTERDAM will therefore be out of center by a margin of one or two “window pixels”. Or even more so, because the first letter (A) is skewed on the left side while the last (M) has a straight edge. It would have been wise to leave more space, not less, at the right-hand side, for the word to be centered properly.

Oh, well.

Piet Schreuders is a designer, writer, and researcher, living and working in Amsterdam. He founded and publishes Furore magazine, the cat-fanzine De Poezenkrant and is author of “Lay In – Lay Out”, “The Beatles’ London”, “Paperbacks, USA”, and “The Paperback Art of James Avati”.

The inaugural edition of the Amsterdam photography fair focuses on emerging talent and first-time buyers

Held in a former gasworks site built in Amsterdam in 1885,
Unseen is a new photography fair that features new work by known photographers as well as work by an international group of emerging young talent. This September, more than 50 galleries from all over the world will entice both the seasoned collector and those buying their very first pieces. To provide some guidance for those who fall in the second category, Unseen will offer online courses and a new TV series designed to educate first-time buyers who might feel less intimated shopping in the €1,000 and under Unseen Collection.

For those looking to expand their collection, be sure to stop by The Michael Hoppen Gallery (UK) as he will be representing the celebrated self-taught photographer,
Alex Prager. Her characteristically cinematic work has appeared in the pages of New York Magazine, The New York Times Magazine and i-D, among others. Most recently Prager was nominated for an Emmy Award for T Magazine’s film series “The Touch of Evil.” It’s no surprise that Prager cites William Eggleston and Alfred Hitchcock as key influences. Indeed, her bright, surreal and perfectly composed images—like those in her Film Still series—are the ideal meeting point of those two masters.

Two lesser-known photographers represented by Martin van Zomeren Gallery (NL) are the Dutch duo Maurice Scheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes, who have collaborated as
Scheltens & Abbenes for the past decade. Given their longevity as well as a long list of accolades, it’s surprising that they aren’t more of a household name, though with their recent 2012 Infinity Award in Applied/Fashion/Advertising from the International Center for Photography, that might be about to change. ICP described their work as an “experiment with converting spatial dimensions into flat surfaces and an exploration of photography’s potential for creating illusion.”

Scheltens & Abbenes are particularly adept at arranging objects into compositions that are as captivating as they are meticulous. A group of perfume bottles becomes a candy-colored miniature sculpture for a fashion editorial and a selection of cheeses and cold cuts becomes a study in texture and form. Scheltens & Abbenes’ work for Vitra is particularly spot on. By confining a collection of the design brand’s minimal offerings within a small square, they not only present a compelling visual story that plays with our sense of scale and perspective, but they also capture Vitra and Morisson’s entire aesthetic.

The first edition of Unseen runs 19-23 September 2012 at Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek. Visit the fair website for more information.

Local design blog editor Cassandra Pizzey shares five must-see places

After a five-year stint studying in the picturesque Holland town of Leiden, Cassandra Pizzey moved to Amsterdam, where she interned and was subsequently hired on as an editor for Design.nl. Working as a freelancer has allowed her to explore by bike during her more than two years in the bustling hub of culture and design. “If you can look through the mass of tourists and make the city yours,” says Pizzey, “it really is an amazing place to live thanks to impressive architecture, a rich cultural program and great shopping—and don’t forget the fearless Amsterdammers themselves.” Here, Pizzey shares a handful of her favorite local spots.

De Pizzabakkers

This pizzeria promotes itself with the slogan “Pizza and Prosecco”, and what could be better? It’s the best pizza I’ve had in the Netherlands with gourmet toppings and fresh greens.

Foam

This photography museum is one of the hippest in town and is tucked away on the beautiful Keizersgracht canal. They always have great exhibitions featuring some of the biggest names in photography alongside young talent.

Trouw

For club nights and concerts, the former printing warehouse Trouw is my favorite. Great line-ups, an industrial feel and Fritz Kola always manages to make the night special. If you don’t fancy partying to the early morning you can always grab a bite to eat in the restaurant.

The Movies

It’s a great 1920s cinema where they play art-house films and the occasional blockbuster. There’s no popcorn, but the period interior is to die for—and less grand than Tuschinski.

Westergasterrein

When the sun is out during Fashion Week, the Westergasterrein is the place to be. It has a couple of bars and “green” eateries that are always packed. For those not into waiting in line, bring a picnic hamper and a blanket and sit yourself down in the huge field—you might even catch a concert.

Following the popularity of our story about a Starbucks designed by Kengo Kuma, here are some images of a concept store that the coffee-shop giant has completed inside a historic bank vault in Amsterdam.

Design director Liz Muller assembled a team of local artists and craftsmen to create features that include repurposed oak furniture, antique Delft tiles and wall coverings fashioned from the recycled inner tubes of old bicycle tyres.

Over 1800 individually cut wooden blocks make up the undulating ceiling, while the vault’s original marble and concrete floor has been restored and exposed.

A bakery is positioned at the rear of the store, while raised platforms provide stages for live music or poetry performances.

You can check out the Starbucks by Kengo Kuma and Associates here.

Photography is by Rien Meulman.

Here’s some more text from Starbucks:

Starbucks Coffee Experience ‘Laboratory’ to open at New Concept Store in Amsterdam

In a few weeks, Starbucks will open a new concept store in Amsterdam, but with its ‘Slow’Coffee Theatre, hyper local design, floating community gathering spaces and  on-site baking, Starbucks – ‘The Bank’ is a glimpse into Starbuck’s vision to the future.

While over the last few years Starbucks has gone to great lengths to reinforce the superlative quality of its coffee and products, under the radar they’ve been re-defining the atmosphere in which we drink it. In Seattle, New York, London, Paris and now Amsterdam, Starbucks has been stealthily unveiling unique and highly individualized concept stores across America and Europe.

Starbucks – The Bank

Situated in a 430 square meter subterranean space in the vault of a historic bank on the popular Rembrandtplein, the new shop is the 9th Starbucks concept store to open in the last three years across the globe, but the first shop they are openly referring to as a ‘laboratory’. A large beautiful store inspired by Dutch culture and tradition, ‘The Bank’ will raise the bar on how Starbucks openly innovates.

The laboratory

Considering its well-earned progressive reputation, Amsterdam might be the perfect spot for trying out new things. Starbucks ‘The Bank’ will function as a testing centre for innovative coffee brewing methods in its ‘Slow’ Coffee Theatre and offer small batch reserve coffees available no where else on the continent. It will also premiere Starbucks first ever Clover® brewing system in Europe. The Clover® is one of the most significant innovations in coffee brewing since the introduction of the espresso machine. Starbucks – The Bank will also feature new food concepts including in-store baking. What works at ‘The Bank’ will make its way to the rest of Europe.

Repurposed hyper-local design

As with all Starbucks concept stores, the Amsterdam shop will be a radical aesthetic departure. Under the direction of Dutch-born Liz Muller, Starbucks Concept Design director, more than 35 artists and craftsmen have kitted the subterranean space with quirky local design touches and sustainable materials. Local design details include antique Delft tiles, walls clad in bicycle inner tubes, wooden gingerbread biscuit moulds and coffee bag burlap, and a ‘tattooed’ ‘Delftware’ mural highlighting the important role 17th century Dutch traders played in exporting coffee around the world.

And while all the design and constructions adheres to strict Leed® sustainable building guidelines to reduce the impact on the environment, the designers have gone out of their way to integrate repurposed design. In addition to reclaiming the vault’s exposed concrete and 1920s marble floor, the entire shop is kitted out in repurposed Dutch oak – the benches, the tables and the undulating ceiling relief made from 1,876 pieces of individually-cut blocks. Also a radical departure from Starbucks house style are the various types of chairs and stools, reclaimed from local schools and spruced up.

Neighbourhood hotspot

With window seat cushions, a centrally-situated oak table and multi-level spaces that cameo as stages for local bands, poetry readings and other cultural activities, ‘The Bank’ is positioning itself as a cultural gathering spot in the middle of Amsterdam. With literally thousands of people living within a minute’s walk, the shop will also playfully use social media to communicate relevant moments. For example, the bakery will send out a tweet announcing ‘warm cookies’ the minute a batch rolls out of the oven.

Clothes and accessories are ensconced in an elaborate lattice of wood at an Amsterdam boutique designed by Dutch studio Doepel Strijkers.

The white-painted grid branches into every corner of the two-storey store, which operates as the flagship for fashion brand Stills.

Some garments hang from the framework, while others are folded onto clear glass shelves placed randomly across the surfaces.

Dressed mannequins appear to be climbing the wooden frame and changing rooms are concealed behind two mirrored doors.

Not long ago we also featured an installation with a similar grid-like interior – see that project here.

Photography is by Wouter Vandenbrink.

Here’s some more text from the designers:

Stills flagship store

On the Cornelis Schuijtstraat in Amsterdam a flagship store has been realized for the label Stills. The spatial interventions in the hull, which visually connects the floors, are not emphasized by smoothing them but has been kept visible to show additions and finishing layers over time.

There is a base from which the original shop and its transformations over time remained visible. This pattern of textures in the existing building is complemented by an object. A spatial translation based on the values of the label.

Stills seeks for sophistication through novel combinations and delicate contrasts, in fits, in styles, in looks, in feels. Their ultimate research in the intrinsic qualities of materials, results in new potentials for working with them, treat and combine them.

This distinctive Stills quality has been translated in a spatial identity based on a new typology. Natural materials, craftsmanship, refined textures and specific pat¬terns are reflected in a spatial fabric which fills the space as a volume.

A careful analysis of the movement of humans in space and the percep¬tion of clothing forms the base for the deformation of the spatial grid. The dense grid opens itself. An implementation with a durable spatial identity, maximum experience and minimum resources is the result.

Dressing rooms, lighting and all possible options for presentation are integrated into the volume, so clothing, shoes, bags, books and mannequins form the visual spec¬ification of the continuous structure.

Project: Stills
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Program: Retail
Assignment: Rebuilding and interior

Status: Completed September 2011
Size: 188 M2
Client: Veldhovengroup Bv, Stills

Design: Duzan Doepel, Eline Strijkers With Chantal Vos
Building Execution
Contractor: Krant Interieurbouw

Interior: Heijmerink Wagemakers
Lighting: Solid Lighting
Mechanical Installation: Aaftink Verwarming Airconditioning