Falconhoven Redevelopment

The streets around the Falconplein are a colorful catalog 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 vary greatly, ensuring that no single architectural style dominates the streetscape. 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.