Holiday Inn Express

Description

The Holiday Inn Express hotel is located on the Valkenburgerstraat, between Amsterdam Central Station and the Stopera (City Hall and the National Opera & Ballet company). Architectural firm Mulderblauw architecten designed three building sections, one of which includes the façade on the front of the building. This filled a void on the Valkenburgerstraat, making this street linking Amsterdam city centre and the IJtunnel a unified whole once again. The building has an eye-catching façade, thanks to the accessible, artisanal materials used: light-coloured bricks combined with wooden window frames. The one-storey plinth section is made of warm grey concrete and this, together with the metallic plating of the roof, completes the harmonised colour palette of the façade. The central section is only two floors high and the opening this creates results in more light and space for the homes on the Nieuwe Grachtje to the east. Following this choice, it felt only natural to use different materials for the inner central facades than on the front facade, creating a surprising contrast within the ensemble as a whole. The third building is located directly on the Uilenburgergracht canal and offers a fine view across the water. The three sections of the building are linked by glass bridges, making them one complete whole.