Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
The design is a combination of
new-build and restoration. The new-build had to fit in the city as if it had always
been there and not shout down the houses around. The bricks and the colours of
the window and door frames wed the colour scheme with
that of the city, while the detailing resumes the layers and grids of the canal fronts. The Anne Frank House
is restored as closely as possible to its original state. By stationing the entrance and exit far
apart flows of visitors are kept separate; the Anne Frank Foundation and the houses included in the plan
have entrances of their own. A light court creates a front section of house and Annex, and the split level
and glazing round the void make for an open, transparent interior.
The houses are fully oriented to the
church (Westerkerk) and the south, and separated by a long passage from the offices on that floor. Hatches
acting as sunbreaks shift with changes in the weather generating a facade which itself is constantly
changing.
Clients
City of Amsterdam
Anne Frank Stichting
Architect
Benthem
Crouwel Architekten
Interior
architects
Benthem Crouwel Architekten
Bureau Van der Wijst
Interieurarchitecten
Restoration architects
Prof.
dr. ir. C.L. Temminck Groll
Architektenburo
Verlaan & Bouwstra
Artist
Rineke Dijkstra
Gross
floor area
3500
m²
Start
design
(1987) 1993
Start
construction
1995
Completion
1999
