Serge Schoemaker Architects

Preliminary Design transformation Fort Kudelstaart completed

August 16, 2022

Commissioned by Zeilfort Kudelstaart, Serge Schoemaker Architects has developed the Preliminary Design for the envisioned transformation of Fort Kudelstaart (1906). The fort island will be transformed into a high-quality nautical centre including a hotel, spa, restaurant, meeting spaces and cafe. To safeguard the cultural-historical values, the extension to the fort is completely integrated into the embankments and covered in earth.

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Architizer features Amsterdam Canal House with an interview article

July 27, 2022

The online architecture platform Architizer featured our Amsterdam Canal House renovation with an interview article, this week. At the request of the owners, the designated state monument has been modernized and made more sustainable. In the interview, Serge Schoemaker talks about the initial concept of the renovation project, the challenges of working with a monument as well as our way of working. Perfect read for the summer break!

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Serge Schoemaker awarded the Pieter van Vollenhoven Prize

April 24, 2022

On the 22nd of April, architect Serge Schoemaker and theater producer Femme Hammer, the initiators and driving force behind the renovation and reuse of Fort Hoofddorp, were awarded the Pieter van Vollenhoven Prize. The ceremony took place in Fort Hoofddorp and was personally presented by the former chairman of the National Restoration Fund, Pieter van Vollenhoven: “Thanks to these people and to the many people involved who have a passion fo heritage, the monuments of our Kingdom can be preserved.”

Design for single family house in Lijnden approved by authorities

March 9, 2022

In the Dutch town of Lijnden, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, we are realising a free standing single family house. Consisting of two interconnected volumes with pitched roofs, the proposed brick house presents a distinct, contemporary character while also searching for continuity with the surrounding residences. While the external form adapts to the scale and architectural language of the context, the overlapping volumes create a surprisingly spacious interior.

2021 NRP Golden Phoenix Award for Fort Hoofddorp

February 10, 2022

Fort Hoofddorp is the winner of the 2021 NRP Golden Phoenix Award in the category Transformation! We are really honoured by this recognition. The annual prize was awarded today in The Hague by Government National Architect Francesco Veenstra: “Fascinating slow architecture at its best. The jury members showed great appreciation for this private initiative which revived this ‘hidden treasure’.”

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‘Strategic Interventions’ by publisher The Architecture Observer released

October 30, 2021

Our first book publication, featuring essays from Kirsten Hannema, Hans Ibelings and Jolanthe Kugler, is out! Published by The Architecture Observer and designed by HallerBrun, the book ‘Strategic Interventions’ documents our careful transformation of the nineteenth-century Fort Hoofddorp. The interventions are captured in the photos of MWA Hart Nibbrig. Available for purchase in both Dutch and English.

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BNA Honourable Mention for transformation of Fort Hoofddorp

September 16, 2021

Serge Schoemaker’s transformation of Fort Hoofddorp received an Honourable Mention in the ‘BNA Best Building of the Year’ competition. This annual prize celebrates the best architecture in the Netherlands. The 2021 winners were announced today by the jury of the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA) during a festive ceremony at Het HEM in Amsterdam.

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Completed: redevelopment of Amsterdam Canal House

July 20, 2021

Situated in the heart of the city, this seventeenth-century corner house offers views of two Amsterdam canals. At the request of the owners, the designated state monument has been modernized and made more sustainable. Serge Schoemaker Architects transformed the five-floor home into a new visual composition that enhances the historical qualities of this remarkable building to the full.

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Dutch Architecture Yearbook 2020-2021 features Fort Hoofddorp

May 26, 2021

For over 30 years ‘Architecture in the Netherlands’ has provided an indispensable overview of Dutch architecture for everyone with a professional or more general interest in the subject. The Yearbook is the international showcase for Dutch architecture. Published by nai010 publishers, the 2020-2021 edition features one of our recent projects: the transformation of Fort Hoofddorp.

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Completed: refurbishment of Amsterdam Maisonnette

February 28, 2021

Since the 1990s the former warehouses along the Entrepothaven in Amsterdam have been repurposed for living space. We converted an existing maisonette inside ‘Dinsdag’, a nineteenth-century warehouse, into a comfortable and stylish urban apartment. The result is an oasis of calm in a vibrant residential neighbourhood. A consistently applied palette of colours and materials unites the two floors into a single architectonic composition.

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Serge Schoemaker transforms Amsterdam Coopery Museum

February 3, 2021

The Coopery Museum in Amsterdam is a recent extension to the Mill of Sloten, a polder mill located on the Ringvaart waterway that encloses the Haarlemmermeer Polder. Economic conditions forced the museum to close its doors in 2020. It turned out to be the perfect building to house two private democratic schools from the region, both of which were looking for new accommodation.

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Green light for development of Fort Kudelstaart

December 6, 2020

Aalsmeer town council last week approved a change of its local zoning plan, paving the way for the transformation of Fort Kudelstaart into a vibrant and pioneering venue for water sports. Serge Schoemaker Architects, the design office working on the scheme, is responsible for the definitive master plan. The World Heritage Site is situated along the West End Lakes, which makes it a perfect base for water sport activities.

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Fort Hoofddorp nominated for 2020 Interior of the Year award

September 30, 2020

Fort Hoofddorp has been nominated for the Dutch ‘Interior of the Year 2020’ award by the jury of Architectenweb. The award nomination is a beautiful recognition for all who worked on this transformation project. Jury statement: “The process from the first design up to completion took a decade and did not always go smoothly; the jury has great respect for the tenacity of the architect.”

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Fort Hoofddorp nominated for ARC20 Architecture Award

September 15, 2020

Fort Hoofddorp has been nominated for the ARC20 Architecture Award. The fort has been partly restored and partly left untouched. We designed sleek new additions and integrated them carefully, consciously preserving the historical details and distinctive atmosphere. Our approach sets up a lively dialogue between past and present, with both entities enhancing each other.

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Exhibition ‘Contemporary Heritage’ opens at Galerie De Meerse

September 3, 2020

Exhibition ‘Contemporary Heritage’ at Galerie De Meerse in Hoofddorp deals with heritage as chance for the future. The exhibition showcases among other things, photos, models and drawings of Fort Hoofddorp. It is a visual documentation of ten years of work. Organised by Podium voor Architectuur, to be seen until the 30th of October.

Visitors information

Completed: redevelopment of Fort Hoofddorp (2010-2020)

May 31, 2020

The process of redeveloping and converting Fort Hoofddorp (1904) took a decade. Some 8,100 m2 in size, the world heritage site has been transformed into an urban park with space for a restaurant as well as cultural and educational activities. Serge Schoemaker Architects tackled the landscape, architecture and interior in an integral manner, fusing past and present into a new entity.

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Video: Hoofddorp Fort Island – Opening soon

May 1, 2020

Last one and a half years, video production company 5gradenoost has been following us during the renovation of the UNESCO fort island in Hoofddorp. The full documentary video on the transformation of Fort Hoofddorp will be launched later this year, but you can already enjoy this short trailer: ‘Hoofddorp Fort Island – Opening soon’.

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Interview with Serge Schoemaker by Podium voor Architectuur

April 21, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting businesses in a variety of ways. Dutch centre for architecture Podium voor Architectuur in Hoofddorp interviewed Serge Schoemaker on doing business during the current pandemic: What are the consequences of the crisis for SSA? How to benefit from this situation? And: what’s next?

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Fort Hoofddorp opens for public Summer 2020

January 25, 2020

The renovated fort island in Hoofddorp will open for public Summer 2020 – ten years after Serge Schoemaker made the first sketches for the redevelopment of the Dutch defence structure. Our design transforms the 8’100 square metre world heritage site into a public park, encompassing among others a restaurant, a small open air theater and a wild garden.

Alley of Light on show at LAC Lugano in Switzerland

November 30, 2019

Alley of Light by Serge Schoemaker Architects & DigiLuce opened at the renown Lugano Arte e Culturale (LAC), today. The LAC art center is one of Switzerland’s most important cultural institutions, dedicated to the visual arts, music and the performing arts. LAC showcases Alley of Light on its front square, Piazza Bernardino Luini, from December 2, 2019 to January 6, 2020.

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Retie Landscape Objects in Belgium completed

April 30, 2019

This series of landscape objects in the province of Antwerp is designed to enhance the quality of the walking area around the ‘Grote Gracht’, to the east of the Belgian municipality of Retie. Serge Schoemaker Architects interpreted the rich local agricultural history with a poetic, minimalist design which is at the same time functional in character.

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‘Transmission’ on show at Amsterdam Light Festival

December 5, 2018

Our minimalist light installation Transmission is currently on display in Amsterdam as part of the 7th edition of the Amsterdam Light Festival. The floating installation consists of nineteen lines made of Plexiglas. Seen from a distance, the installation looks like a gigantic light wave moving through the air. The light passing through the piece turns the installation into a dynamic architectural structure. The light artwork can be visited at Westerdok until January 20, 2019.

Completed: multifunctional garden studio in Hoofddorp

October 25, 2018

With the rise in both land prices and numbers of people working from home, high-quality insulated garden studios have become a big trend. In Hoofddorp, Serge Schoemaker Architects used limited architectural means to design a sleek multifunctional garden studio. The result is a small and versatile structure, in which exterior and interior are one.

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