Falconhoven Redevelopment

The streets around the Falconplein are a colourful catalogue of five centuries of urban architecture. Every facet of the city is simultaneously visible: the vulgar or misplaced and the elegant or exotic. New and smooth stands next to crumpled and forgotten. Scale, typology, function and materials are wildly varied, and the streetscape is never dominated by any one type of architecture. Fascinated by the diversity of the Schipperskwartier, four architectural firms carved up, apportioned and perfected the empty corner at the intersection of the Falconrui and the Generaal Belliardstraat (Caruso St John, Rapp+Rapp, ONO and Bovenbouw). The volatility of the surrounding streets is reflected in the designs. The materials, styles and mixed typologies of the Schipperskwartier have inspired an equally vibrant collection of well-judged buildings.