Europan 18 The Netherlands
Location: Amersfoort, NL
Year: 2025
Type: Europan International Competition, 1st prize
Status: Completed
Team: Flavio Martella, Maria Vittoria Tesei
The Cultural Archipelago proposal for Amersfoort demonstrates a decade-long commitment to adaptive reuse and circularity, deliberately opting for the patient preservation of a 1970s–80s complex instead of demolition. The project is driven by three progressive strategies.
The initial phase (Re-activate) begins with the low-impact intervention on The Wall, a long brick volume whose honest exterior is maintained while the interior is gently reconfigured into a mixed-use community building with library, workshops, galleries, co-working spaces and offices. Surface parking is eliminated, and the exterior space is regenerated with permeable pedestrian paths.
The subsequent strategy (Re-Configure) is the structural reconfiguration of the Molenstraat ensemble: The Spine is hollowed out to become an elevated public promenade—a flexible framework open to
different programs and activities— whileThe Cine and The Shell are transformed into cultural landmarks with cinemas, studios, and public terraces through structural reuse and envelope renewal, establishing a vibrant threshold to the historic centre.
Finally, (Re-Make) consists in the is the circular re-building applied to an existing structure onsite in order to transform it into a new theatre. Its demolition is selective: salvaged materials like brick and steel are reused as cladding for new, light steel-and-timber additions.
This phased approach creates a deep physical link between past and future, resulting in an interconnected landscape where matter is recycled, establishing a continuous cycle of renewal and memory that grounds Amersfoort's cultural future firmly within the resources and history of its architectural past.
