Figurehead
The project won second prize in the public competition for the construction of a new bridgewatcher's house and tourist information point in central Haarlem, The Netherlands.
The new bridgewatcher's house is placed like a landmark on the raised intersection of Korte Veerstraat and the curve of De Spaarne. The buildings along the canal have been built in different historical periods, which means that the contextual approach to the site therefore has been a question of scale and detail, rather than style. By covering a banal shape with a shimmering, almost monolithic brass sheet paneling, the appearance balances between the straightforwardness of industrial buildings and a modern, abstract sculpture.