Innovation and tradition go hand in hand on P.C. Hooftstraat 

A unique new building is being built on Amsterdam's P.C. Hooftstraat: PCHooft7. Between the nineteenth-century buildings stands a modern eye-catcher from the second quarter of 2024. Adam Smit of ZZDP Architects tells all about the spectacular building, which, despite its modern appearance, blends well into its context. 

The impressive building will be the home of two floors of stores and four floors of office space. For the realization of this new building, an office building had to make way. "Almost all the buildings on P.C. Hooftstraat come from the nineteenth century," explains architect Adam Smit. "Once there were four ornate buildings here by architect Pierre Cuypers. In 1975, these four buildings were combined by architect Frits de Keukeleire into a new office building. In our design, that quadrangle, which fits into the rhythm of the facade wall, is readable again."

Shopping and working

The first floor accommodates a spectacularly tall retail space. The retail space in the basement is perhaps the biggest surprise of the project: an almost museum-like space even higher than the first floor. The first through fourth floors are for offices. "You enter the building in a large lobby," Smit visualizes. "From the lobby you look into the store through a large glass window. The stairs and elevator are designed as a fully transparent core of glass and steel that leads you to the office on the floors above."

"On the office floors, the wooden main supporting structure is very present. For the retail space, height was essential, and the entire building had a maximum available height to fit into the streetscape. Therefore, there was only limited height left for the office floors. For that reason, all technical installations are completely interwoven with the wooden beams. That was quite a puzzle, but gives the desired, luxurious result."

From bottom to top

The first floor and basement make up the store. This first floor and basement offer a lot of possibilities for the future shopkeeper. "The P.C. Hooftstraat is a prestigious place to open your store," Smit says. "We also incorporated that feeling into the design. For example, we provided a continuous elevator pit in the basement so that an elevator can be placed anywhere. And the first floor has an open structure with wood floors so stairs can be placed anywhere. This allows the retailer to design the space completely as they wish, now and in the future." A special feature is that the store's concrete floors and columns, at the express wish of the client, are made of traditionally executed plank concrete. 

The upper level of the building also throws high points, with large windows and green roof terraces on either side. "At the front, you look out on P.C. Hooftstraat," Smit says. "The back is almost even more impressive with a beautiful view of the Rijksmuseum."

Excelling in detail

The new addition to P.C. Hooftstraat will be completed in the spring of 2024. The store measures 700 square meters and the office 1,200 square meters. The building contains large spaces that excel in finishes. Rugged steel beams are combined with graceful glass and warm wood. The bronze coating on the aluminum façade fades with time and allows the building to live in the future. "In short," Smit concludes, "it is an understated, chic bespoke suit that blends into the 19th century architecture of P.C. Hooftstraat."