Reconstruction of 'Siloo o' in Amsterdam by NL Architects

In the predominantly low-lying Netherlands, where the highest mountain measures 322.5 meters above sea level, climbing enjoys unprecedented favor. The Dutch Royal Climbing and Mountaineering Association, with 55,000 members, is one of the largest organizations of its kind in Europe. Therefore, it is not surprising that NL Architects presented their revamped design for a climbing wall utilizing abandoned silos in eastern Amsterdam. The sporting spirit in NL Architects' projects can already be seen in examples like WOS 8 near Utrecht, where they 'grafted' a climbing wall and a basketball hoop onto a heat exchanger station. The current project by NL Architects titled 'Siloo o' deals with a trio of abandoned silos on Zeeburg Island, situated between the historical center and the newly emerging district of Ijburg. A deformed climbing landscape with a series of overhangs, plateaus, balconies, and other artificially created rock formations is attached to the silos. The entire cylindrical surface is divided into a triangular grid, where windows are also placed to illuminate the interior spaces from which climbers can be observed. Inside, there are two twenty-meter climbing walls protected from inclement weather. On the ground floor, there will be a foyer, bar, restaurant, and changing rooms with showers, while the upper floors will house conference and lecture rooms.
In the competition for the reconstruction of two of the three silos, NL Architects were defeated in 2009 by another Amsterdam studio, Arons en Gelauff Architecten. However, due to the financial crisis, the reconstruction of the third tower into an office building did not take place, and NL Architects now feel a second opportunity to incorporate the silos into a study for the World Climbing Championships venue.