The Netherlands rehabilitation of The Halls Amsterdam honoured
The outstanding conservation of the Halls Amsterdam: Centre for Media, Fashion, Culture and Crafts, winner of an EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award 2015, was celebrated on the afternoon of 3 September 2015. The ceremony was co-hosted by architect André van Stigt and Jet van den Heuvel, partners of the architecture office responsible for the rehabilitation of this building complex, and was attended by 60 people. Following the address by Europa Nostra’s Board member Astrid Weij, the commemorative plaque was unveiled by Casper Schouten, president of the Supervisory Board of the TROM – Tram Depot Development Society.
Local Award Ceremony at the Halls Amsterdam: Centre for Media, Fashion, Culture and Crafts. Photo: Architecture Office J. van Stigt
At De Hallen Studios, André van Stigt and Jet van den Heuvel welcomed the guests and presented the various phases of the rehabilitation of the large 1900s tram depot which is classified as a national monument. Representatives from the businesses established in the Halls Amsterdam (namely a library, a hotel, a cinema, a restaurant and food hall, TV studios, a craft centre, and a site for small scale local markets and stores) were invited to share their first-hand experiences and stories, in an informal and convivial atmosphere.
“Thanks to the strong collaboration between the neighbours, users and promoters of the Halls Amsterdam, this important industrial monument was given a new life,” stated André van Stigt.
Astrid Weij congratulated all those involved in the rehabilitation of the Halls and particularly architect van Stigt on their remarkable heritage achievement. “Not only has this building complex been rehabilitated according to new living standards; it has also played an important role in the revitalization of the entire neighbourhood,” she added.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the commemorative plaque on the main facade of the Halls Amsterdam by Casper Schouten, president of the Supervisory Board of the TROM foundation, which is responsible for the management of the properties.
“This Award recognises at the European level the courage and perseverance of the TROM foundation to save Amsterdam’s formal tram depot, while giving it new uses,” he noted.
The ceremony concluded with the projection of ‘Monument on the Rails’, a one-hour documentary produced by Lex Bolle, which provides a unique insight into this exemplary restoration project, presented at De FilmHallen.
