The building, built in 1904 in the neo-Renaissance style, according to its original purpose, that is, as a warehouse, was used until 1932, and then it was reconstructed into a parish called De Liefde. By 2007, the building fell into disrepair and was bought out by the Amsterdam administration to adapt to the socio-cultural needs of the city. As a result of the reconstruction, the project of which was developed by the architect Vil Arets, its interior was radically transformed. On the site of the former wine cellars, a concert hall for 230 spectators, a conference hall, a rehearsal for the choir, a library, a restaurant and a cafe, as well as a large entrance foyer with a spectacular staircase, connecting all these premises, have appeared.
Working on the interior design for the De Nieuwe Liefde center (by the way, this name means "New Love" in Dutch), Ville Arets started from the original architectural appearance of the complex. In particular, huge window openings with a complex pattern of binders and stained-glass windows and wide staircases were preserved. The main problem of the reconstructed complex was the lack of daylight: the depth of the building is more than 30 meters, and in order to illuminate all its rooms, the available windows were not enough. This is partly why all the interiors of the new center are designed in white, but it was not possible to make all the functional areas sufficiently light only by means of design, so the architect was forced to design additional skylight openings above the central foyer.
A. M.
