Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek

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Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2006

In 1981, Westergasfabriek, which was a nineteenth-century factory on the outskirts of central Amsterdam, was rezoned as recreation space. Kathryn Gustafson won the commission with ‘Changement’, a proposal produced in collaboration with Francine Houben of Mecanoo Architects.

The resulting, Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek is one of Gustafson Porter + Bowman’s defining projects and is considered a model of brownfield reclamation, within a physically dense urban context. The scheme establishes a delicate balance between historical buildings and the surrounding landscape, providing access to innovative spaces of invention and interpretation, and its success can be attributed to an effective design process which incorporated public input from its beginnings.

Today it is a vibrant cultural centre for the arts and a meeting place for neighbouring communities.

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“Westergasfabriek is one of our defining projects. It forms a seamless whole with the buildings it surrounds and is a meeting place for everyone.”
— Neil Porter, Founding Partner
“Gustafson Porter + Bowman have been supremely successful in reflecting and complementing the existing buildings’ form and character in the surrounding grounds with all the beautiful and very special areas that have been created.”
— Evert Verhagen, Project Manager

Aflevering 4.

Awards

2010 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award (Conservation)
2009 Green GOOD DESIGN Award, The Chicago Athenaeum, Winner
2007 Landscape Institute (LI) Awards,Design over 5ha category, Winner
2007 International Urban Landscape Award (IULA), Topos, Shortlisted
2006 European Prize for Urban Public Space, Finalist
2005 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Urban Space By Design Awards, Built projects category, 2nd place Winner
2004 Golden Pyramid (Gouden Piramide), Netherlands National Architectural Award

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