The Institute of Contemporary Dutch History (ICDH) stands along the Oosterdok, the major docks east of Central Station in Amsterdam. The purpose of the ICDH is to collect and inventory, research and put on show the Dutch history of the last two hundred years. In today's world we see boundaries blur and cultures perceptibly mix. It is desirable that indigenous Dutch culture and recent Dutch history be given a place of their own. The ICDH is to fulfil that need by collecting and examining Dutch cultural heritage, and holding it up to scrutiny in exhibitions.

The building's form is based on the institute's working methods. The function of archive can be recognized in the silo. There we see the traces of the past; there the fossils of events are stored. With its distinctive building form, the silo slots well into the harbour setting and is the institute's prime visual presence. The function of research, the think-tank, a 'navigating in time', is sited in a glass container wrapped around the archive. Formwise, the container responds to the urban context. Finally, it is expected that the institute should put on show the results of all research done there. These projections of thinking are exhibited in crystalline rooms exposed to view by analytical incision of the archive. Looking at the past in this way sheds new light on history.

The site in Amsterdam near Central Station and the Piet Hein Tunnel was chosen because it is easy to reach and has a metropolitan resonance. The ICDH has a stimulating influence on two urban systems. First, it strengthens the cultural-scientific function of the area and second, it enriches the new route between the city centre and Oostelijke Handelskade to the east. By placing the ICDH between the water and the railway embankment at the head end of the Oosterdok dike, the route between the centre and Oostelijke Handelskade is not only made more attractive but gains a programmatic addition into the bargain.

The main task is to make history accessible.
The archive is not a bunker of hidden secrets.
It must be transparent, possess a thousand and one routes
that keep enabling us to reinterpret history.

Place of education: Amsterdam
Specialization: architectuur
Tutors: Herman Kerkdijk, Chris Scheen & Hans van Heeswijk