Nowadays

For Julipetra, Hans Wilschut photographed Nowadays on Damrak in Amsterdam, a large scale redevelopment of the former buildings at Nieuwendijk 196 and Damrak 70. With approximately 27,500 m², the complex is one of the largest inner city retail projects in the Netherlands and forms an important connection between Damrak, Nieuwendijk and the Beurspassage.

The distinctive use of limestone plays a visible and versatile role throughout the project. The material brings calm, tactility and refinement to an environment defined by heavy pedestrian flows, international retail and the constant rhythm of Amsterdam’s city centre. In façades, entrances and interior details, the stone takes on different appearances. At times monumental and almost structural in presence, at other times light, precise and nearly graphic.

In his project, Hans Wilschut focuses on the relationship between material, scale and urban movement. Judipetra’s limestone is shown not merely as a surface finish, but as an element that gives the building calm and coherence. In one of the busiest parts of Amsterdam, the architecture brings together mass, detail and representation in a seemingly effortless way.