Iconic building guides sailor to his home port
After remarkable projects such as Halte Bellevue on Spoorstraat ('food station') and the striking social housing units on Spuistraat, Niek Kruisheer of Attika Architecten is once again making his mark in Den Helder. On Thursday, November 7, the official start signal will be given for another eye-catcher in the city center: De Admiraal.
De Admiraal is a complex of 54 homes located adjacent to the extended city park. Twelve of these, comprising both single-family homes and apartments, are going on sale. Another 42 apartments will be rented out. McDonald's is also opening its new branch here. The client is Woningstichting/Helder Vastgoed BV.
Amsterdam School
In addition to the existing architectural hallmarks of the Amsterdam School, the design attracts attention for another reason: Niek Kruisheer has incorporated numerous details (ornaments) that illustrate the maritime character of port city Den Helder. He certainly did not have to hold back in doing so for his client.
Kruisheer is pleased with that. Already in the Spuistraat, he visibly broke with the dogma of the 1980s that ornaments and special detailing are superfluous decoration. A building had to be pure art in itself, without all sorts of frills. "We believe, on the contrary, that a building should bring pleasure to daily life in terms of its appearance. Especially if you become fascinated by what you see as you pass by. Ornamentation contributes to that."’
Starfish
And so Kruisheer provided the homes on Spuistraat with details such as concrete starfish on the facades and mooring ropes around the door frames. These and other choices gave the social rental homes a rich appearance.
De Admiraal will also have that rich appearance, the architect assures. "We want to give it the grandeur that you saw before the war in numerous Helderse buildings. The Amsterdam School style is visible here as well. But alongside that, there is the rugged, solid Napoleonic architectural style of the old Willemsoord naval shipyard. Particularly in the corner building on Spoorstraat, which will house McDonald's. For this, we took the former pumping station at the entrance to Willemsoord as a model. For instance, it will feature arched windows with thick reveals (the distance to the outer masonry and the window frame, ed.)."’
Home port
The Admiral will feature numerous distinctive external characteristics. For instance, a port and starboard light will be installed approximately halfway along, on the so-called accent building. "These will be visible from the Marsdiep in the evening. As if you are heading for your home port, which Den Helder is for many."’
The detailing goes even further. "Above the entrance doors, there will be navy rank insignia, and next to the door frames, glazed bricks in the shape of the colorful ribbons that navy personnel wear on their uniforms." That did require some careful research. "We don't want to accidentally put in Russian characters," laughs Kruisheer.
Tattoo
Equally special will be the life-size image etched into the glass stairwell of the accent building. It will soon depict a sailor with a 19th-century sailing ship carved into his chest. "The sailor will then look out over the city park." Elsewhere on the building, there will be tile panels with maritime images, such as those of the old submarine hunters in the wet dock of the Royal Shipyard.
De Admiraal is being built by construction company De Nijs. The intention is for the complex to be completed in mid-2026.
