Nadine der Kinderen

Danspodium aan het IJ

My project concerns a living environment for professional dancers. This project was born out of my predilection for creating spaces and movement. It struck me that many theatres are being built at the moment, but not specific dance theatres. At least, not anymore. At present, dance shows are performed in more or less the same conditions. Although the motive for my design is the dance theatre, it is strongly tailored programmatically and functionally to the wishes of the dancers and choreographers.  It is a building with which an entire dance community will be supported, where dancers can train, perform and rest; with inspiration, relaxation, residential and habitable spaces.

My dance building places the emphasis on growth and creation process. It is a building with an open character and an environment where a dancer can feel at home. I interpret the venue as a space where you are witness to a unique event. Moreover, I searched for the limits of flexibility in which this remains possible instead of the perfect conditions. My dance building offers an environment where two national and three international dance companies can work and stay. The companies will rotate every two months. It can generate synergy if different groups/dance styles influence each other. Movement through the space is the guiding theme in the design. A dancer takes up space, through occupying a spot in the space. The building guides, as it were, the movement of the dancers. Dancers often have to exert physical effort for days on end. It is an elegant yet demanding process of both being seen and remaining hidden. This process was the guiding principle in the design of the building.

Amsterdam has a rich range of cultural offerings. A cultural cluster has recently formed around the river IJ in which a dance building is still missing. The location on the Sixhaven marina provides me with the opportunity to have the new dance venue element form part of the cultural cluster, which currently consists of the EYE Filmmuseum, A’DAM Toren, Tolhuistuin, Bimhuis, Amsterdam Public Library (OBA), Conservatorium, NEMO and the UNESCO area. A building in the Sixhaven that primarily represents dance is a valuable addition to the northern banks of the IJ and stimulates synergy in the cultural cluster.

The area is located at the epicentre of all kinds of movements, such as the traffic, the movements of the boat masts and the greenery alongside the North Sea Canal. With the construction of a new metro station, the Sixhaven will be easily accessible and this area will be ideally suited for a new public building. In this way, the unknown section of the banks of the IJ will be returned to the city. Precisely 100 years ago, Amsterdam received its own marina: the Sixhaven. The harbour master lived here at that time. When this house became vacant recently, the municipality held a competition. A unique plan was selected, in which connection is the key focus. People love Nelson Mandela. His Ubuntu philosophy inspired people to create a space where connection is celebrated, nourished and restored. The garden is a summer terrace, which all Amsterdam citizens can enjoy.

The inn will be incorporated into the new building. It will be given a new context and a new significance. The inn will keep its doors open when the surroundings close down.

In this project, all immediate target groups – boat owners in the Sixhaven, dancers, dance venue visitors and passers-by – will be incorporated into the design. The building will offer a sheltered public space where passers-by and visitors can enjoy the surroundings and through which the programme will become perceptible for the surroundings. Boat owners can make use of shared facilities in the building. And visitors can witness unique dance performances. This new building will bring together the unknown dance world with the worlds around it. A building that accentuates the dynamic character of the Sixhaven. A building especially for dance, where dancers live and work, and can feel at home.

Graduation committee: Bart Bulter, Judith Korpershoek and Tara Steenvoorden. Extra members for the examination: Ira Koers and Marcel van der Lubbe.