This afternoon, the ground breaking ceremony took place in Amsterdam to mark the beginning of construction for Salt – a 3,700m2 office building offering flexible workspace in a prime harbour location part of Amsterdam’s port redevelopment of Minervahaven.

Salt is five levels high, and a 30m x 30m x 20m cube-shaped building with distinct concrete frames stacked on top of each other. The concrete frames house a variety of different windows permeating the façade to keep the individuality of each 5m x 4m unit. Windows are arranged in a random order so that the buildings' distinct glass and concrete façade offers a different view depending on what side it is approached from.

“The area around Minervahaven still has an industrial feel to it due to its scale which is different from older harbour areas that have been transformed in the past. So no bricks here but concrete as a base for the new volumes. Our design reflects this industrial heritage, by creating concrete loft-like spaces using exposed and raw materials, but also by opening up the façade to great views of the harbour’’, says Jacob van Rijs, co-founder MVRDV. 

Read more about the project set for completion in January 2018 here