Power House announced that it has transformed a well-loved monument to university life, the Brutalist student center known as ‘De Bunker’, into a vibrant multi-use development by adding a striking new residential tower. For us, the key to the project was keeping the contemporary intervention in the spirit of the original structure, designed by leading postwar Dutch architect Hugh Maaskant. Rather than adding contrast, Power House studied Maaskant’s design language and repeated the same architectural themes: slanting walls, strong horizontal lines and stark detailing and rugged materials. Combining old and new, Power House created a unified, layered design, celebrating and restoring the building’s original glamor. The new Bunker complex is a hybrid of form and function, set in a beautiful park that enhances the entire complex.’The tower tapers as it rises, echoing the old Bunker’s sloping walls, asymmetry and stepped form. Its lively and dynamic silhouette has three distinct sections. A greater proportion of glass towards the top makes the tower lighter and more open the higher it gets. The sculptural tower gives the Bunker a new life as a city landmark – starring in countless urban vistas, while also providing great views of the city for residents.
Power House announced that it has transformed a well-loved monument to university life, the Brutalist student center known as ‘De Bunker’, into a vibrant multi-use development by adding a striking new residential tower. For us, the key to the project was keeping the contemporary intervention in the spirit of the original structure, designed by leading postwar Dutch architect Hugh Maaskant. Rather than adding contrast, Power House studied Maaskant’s design language and repeated the same architectural themes: slanting walls, strong horizontal lines and stark detailing and rugged materials. Combining old and new, Power House created a unified, layered design, celebrating and restoring the building’s original glamor. The new Bunker complex is a hybrid of form and function, set in a beautiful park that enhances the entire complex.’The tower tapers as it rises, echoing the old Bunker’s sloping walls, asymmetry and stepped form. Its lively and dynamic silhouette has three distinct sections. A greater proportion of glass towards the top makes the tower lighter and more open the higher it gets. The sculptural tower gives the Bunker a new life as a city landmark – starring in countless urban vistas, while also providing great views of the city for residents.
