multi mill, houthavens west by NL architects
all images courtesy NL architects


the port of amsterdam commissioned roos burger and yvon yzermans, two collaborating
art historians to develop a cultural facility in houthavens west. the port wanted to improve
the attractiveness of the area to the public by realizing a cultural meeting place  by transforming
the area between city and port. dutch NL architects recently won the competition for their
proposal 'multi mill' - a flexible 'base' that can facilitate various art forms including theater,
film, fashion, sculpture, sound and light art, dance etc





the project will be positioned on the haparandadam on the banks of the IJ river,

the versatility of the assignment was the challenge for the architects - how can one space host
all different functions in a credible way?





the concept consists of three wings that are connected to a central platform. the wings
have specific shapes that cater for specific usage. the 'arms' can support fashion shows,
cinema and theatre the idea was to develop an adaptable object that can be used as both
a stage and as a stand.





the design is intended as a revolving structure. the turning multi form plateau will allow
performances with changing backgrounds.









by turning the plateau a specific function can be 'switched on'. as such the square in front
of it can be 'charged' in endless ways.











the location at the tip of the jetty will feature an elevated restaurant in a former offshore radio
station; a drop off point for the private cars of skippers; a parking lot and a turning circle
for trucks.















movement of 'multi mill'



the theater


existing area



aerial view of the port and location of the project



the three functions



how the three functions are united

project info:

multi mil:
multifunctional cultural podium, haparandadam, westelijke houthavens, amsterdam 2010
client: port of amsterdam and roos burger and yvon yzermans

NL architects: pieter bannenberg, walter van dijk, kamiel klaasse,
gen yamamoto with ines quinteiro antolin, marc bitz, qili yang,
liping lin, lorena valero minano, matthieu moreau.