Felix Meritis is one of the most monumental buildings in Amsterdam. A thorough renovation was needed. In 2014 the submission of Amerborgh was chosen by the city of Amsterdam. SIDstudio was involved as the structural engineer from design to final construction.
The neoclassical building is built in 1787 and was used for a lot of different functions. This history of the building can be seen in the various structural elements implemented in time. From 1888 on the building was used as a printingfactory and large strengthened floor areas where found the Concert Hall. In 1932 a fire destroyed most of the front top 3 levels. Old calculation where found and studied and proved invaluable helping us to justify the renovation works. As always with renovations the amount of information about the existing building will determine the effort and possibilities of a new design. Logically the first thing SIDstudio did was spending 2,5 days in the archive looking for old drawings and calculations.
In 2017 the building works started. The new design was fully engineered, sometimes based on assumption that needed to be verified during construction. It is a pleasure to crawl in the tunnels of the foundation and spent hours and hours between the impressive wooden floor beam structures. Unfortunately on many places history has left us with unsafe structural situations. Mainly the floor and balcony of the Shaffy Theater needed large scale strengthening. This opportunity was used to also improve its functionality by removing multiple columns and bring it back to its original design.
The team has put a great deal of effort into preserving the original character. As each department in 1787 had its own character and atmosphere, each room now has its own appearance and interpretation.
The opening was planned in March 2020 but postponed until after the summer due to the coronavirus.