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The Beurs van Berlage (former stock exchange building) in the heart of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is an architectural work of art, built from beautiful brick masonry. The interior walls, built from glazed brickwork in a variety of colours, also tell a story: about the original design by builder and famous architect Berlage and about the changes that the building has undergone over the course of a hundred years.
Janneke Bierman, architect and director at Bierman Henket, speaks about the Beurs van Berlage with respect and compassion. In recent years, she has supervised several drastic renovations to the building. ‘We currently like it, the colours and the glaze. But twenty years ago, everything had to be white, arches were bricked up, and ceilings were added. We’re reconstructing the original design. Our priority is to make Berlage shine again. Having done that, we’ll look at how we can introduce contemporary wishes and requirements,’ says the architect.
The blue, green, black and yellow glazed bricks attract the attention in the Beurs. But there are also entire walls in ivory white and warm brown. 'For the restoration details, you’re looking for bricks that come closest to the original colour, glaze and texture,' says Bierman. During the design process, there was close cooperation with Wienerberger, to achieve the best colour nuances for the glazed bricks. Choosing from many colour samples, but also including new glaze compositions - the construction team made its choice.
At the Beurs van Berlage it was possible to create a mixture for certain locations using existing stones from a demolished wall. ‘That's the best thing,’ says Bierman. ‘If you can blend the old and the new together. It’s difficult with new openings in the wall. Special bricks are needed there. So they’re all new and made in exactly the right colours.' The new doors and reconstructions are an exact-as-possible replica. 'If you know, you can see differences, for example in the width of the joints', explains Bierman. 'For most visitors it looks like it’s always been that way. That's our joy.’
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