Having received an order to create a volume so rich in functions, the architects decided to reflect this multiparty not only in the layout, but also in the structure of the building itself. Built not far from the center of Amersfoort, in a former industrial area that is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation, Eemhuis has received a complex, if not intricate shape. The architects put three rectangular bars across the trapezoidal base, which end with an expressive "comb". If we add to this that the lower volume is faced with glazed dark brown bricks and glass, and the upper blocks - with polished metal panels decorated with hemispheres of different diameters, it becomes clear that an absolutely futuristic object has been built in Amersfoort, which is simply destined to become one of the new symbols of this city.
In front of the cultural center, the architects set up a pedestrian square, and the first floor of the building is interpreted as its covered extension. That is why the lower level of the complex is almost completely glazed, and from the second floor it acquires a brutal brick shell designed to remind of the industrial past of the site.
The functions on the ground floor of the center are matched to its social status: in addition to the entrance foyer, from where you can get to each of the blocks, there is a large cafe and an exhibition hall. The volume of the latter is slightly sunk into the ground by the architects and surrounded by a "necklace" of more intimate exhibition spaces: they can be used both for placing one exposition, and for organizing several independent projects at once.
The library is located on the next floor, but it begins with a staircase that connects the first and second levels of the complex. The architects decide this staircase in the form of several wide terraces, each of which is equipped with places for reading and work. The library itself received a free layout: in a single space furnished with shelves with books, cozy islands for studies were created. The city archive is located above the library, and even higher is the School of Arts. The faculties of the latter (theater and dance, music, visual arts) are divided into separate volumes - the very "bars" - which made it possible not only to make each of the departments independent, but also to provide them with a sufficient number of classes and rehearsal studios.
