Amsterdam Architecture: 27 Awe-inspiring Places to Soothe Your Inner Architecture Geek

Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, is often regarded as a picturesque city from the Golden Age, with its tiny streets lined with brightly colored homes. Amsterdam architecture has always featured extraordinary city planning, numerous architectural styles, attractive bridges, and excellent infrastructure. We can learn about these things by delving into the city’s architectural wonders.

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Amsterdam Architecture

Amsterdam architecture is regarded as a leading architectural and design center in Europe. Aside from its iconic rings of canals from the 17th century, Amsterdam is often cited as where modern architecture emerged naturally among the ancient façades and iconic buildings throughout the cities.

The following is a list of some architectural wonders in Amsterdam that you absolutely cannot miss. We hope you will find it helpful as you explore the city’s rich history and take in the breathtaking scenery of this magnificent architecture.

©Alexander Spatari / Getty Images

1) Museum Het Schip

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Architect: Michel de Klerk
Location: Oostzaanstraat 45 1013WG
Year: 1919
Type: Museum

The Ship, also known as “Het Schip,” is a building constructed in the style of the Amsterdam architectural School, a movement active from 1910 to 1930 and distinguished by its heavy reliance on brick.

This structure, planned in 1919 by architect Michel de Klerk, included affordable housing for the working class, a community center, and a post office. The Ship is now a museum showcasing the principles of the Amsterdam School and the building’s history.

2) Silodam

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Architect: MVRDV
Location: 1013 AW
Year: 2022
Type: Residential

This new apartment complex is between two silos that were once used to store grain and are now being used as dwellings. The Housing Silo is a 10-story building that is 20 meters in depth, housing 157 apartments, retail spaces, and public areas. In a clear and legible stack, apartments of varying sizes and types are shown on the building’s façade.

3) Amsterdam Central Station

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Architect: Pierre Cuypers
Location: Stationsplein, 1012 AB
Year: 1889
Type: Railway Services

Can you believe that wooden piles support the Amsterdam railway station? An island was formed for the station using sand dug for the North Sea Canal. Since its construction, the structure has been recognized as a state monument, and all alterations to its exterior have required special clearance.

However, a massive transformation occurred there. The foyer next to the lobby was recently redone. The formerly exposed rails have been covered, making way for new businesses and amenities. It’s a stunning landmark from the exterior and a convenient gathering spot with all the facilities you might need from the inside.

4) The Royal Palace

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Architect: Jacob van Campen, Daniël Stalpaert
Location: Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 147, 1012 RJ
Year: 1648
Type: Palace

This majestic palace served as Amsterdam’s Town Hall during the Dutch Golden Age. Later, it was converted into a royal residence by Napoleon’s brother, Louis. After Napoleon’s collapse, the Palace did not revert to Dutch possession until Prince William VI.

5) Westerkerk

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Architect: Hendrick de Keyser
Location: Prinsengracht 279, 1016 GW
Year: 1620-1631
Type: Church

The Westerkerk is the highest church in Amsterdam at 87m. Its octagonal spires distinguish it from the bell tower, crowned with the Imperial Crown of Austria of Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor.

The cathedral has held royal marriages, notably those of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus of Amsberg in 1966, and the crypts under its floor include the remains of notable Dutch nobles like Rembrandt.

6) Anne Frank House

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Architect: Dirk van Delft
Location: Prinsengracht 263-267
Year: 1635
Type: Residential

This home has been a warehouse, a stable, and a residential dwelling during its existence. A company that made home appliances moved in around the turn of the century, and by 1930 it was replaced by a company that manufactured piano rolls; both had left by 1939. Anne Frank’s dad, Otto Frank, relocated the family on December 1st, 1940.

In the back of the structure is an addition known as the Secret Annex. After hiding there for two years and a month, they were ultimately betrayed by the Nazi authorities, captured, and sent to death camps.

Anne Frank’s House Secret Annex ©mvdirona.com

7) Kop Van Diemenstraat

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Architect: TEKTON Architekten
Location: van Diemenstraat 2
Year: 2009
Type: Residential/ Offices

Kop van Diemenstraat is a prefabricated structure on the south quay of Amsterdam’s riverfront that contains a variety of residences and office space. Together with the Silodam, it has helped to create a new urban environment in the region. One side of the structure is elevated to provide a covered entry and spectacular harbor and cityscape vistas.

8) Conservatorium Hotel

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Architect: Daniël Knuttel
Location: Paulus Potterstraat 50, 1071 DB
Year: 1897
Type: Hotel

This innovative renovation of a century-old building that was formerly a music conservatory into Amsterdam’s best hotel is a model of its kind. In 2012, the Milanese designer Piero Lissoni skillfully blended the ancient building’s character with modern additions. The contrast between the old and the modern has been emphasized by paying meticulous attention to the details and the selection of materials.

9) Borneo + Sporenburg Bridges

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Architect: West 8
Location: Panamakade 144
Year: 2000
Type: Bridge

The Borneo and Sporenburg bridges by West 8 are crucial in giving the harbor-residential area its character. The islands of Borneo and Sporenburg are connected by two bridges, one on the Western side and the other on the Eastern side of the 93-meter-wide water of the Railroad canal.

10) Van Gogh Museum Exhibition Wing

©Ronald Tilleman

Architect: Hans van Heeswijk Architects
Location: Paulus Potterstraat 7
Year: 2015
Type: Museum

This circular edifice celebrates the confluence of stone and glass volumes; it memorializes Van Gogh and his work. The extensive use of glass in construction and the resulting connection to natural light and vistas indicate excellent environmental design.

It is a utopia for those interested in art and Amsterdam architecture, thanks to its cutting-edge building techniques and museums displaying the works of renowned painters.

11) Science Center NEMO

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Architect: Renzo Piano
Location: Oosterdok 2
Year: 1997
Type: Science & Research Center

This science and technology exhibition features a ship-like design with pre-oxidized copper-clad façades to pay homage to its waterfront location. The sloped top of the building has a walkway leading up to it, and it is used as a public plaza and gathering place for the locals.

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12) Floating Houses in IJburg

©Luuk Kramer

Architect: Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer
Location: Haringbuisdijk 2
Year: 2010
Type: Residential

Amsterdam architecture has a long tradition of accommodating the whims of the water. These magnificent 75 floating homes and waterfront dwellings came to be when floating homes were recognized as a viable option for meeting current housing demands in Holland.

13) The Whale

©de Architekten Cie

Architect: de Architekten Cie
Location: Baron G. A. Tindalplein 1
Year: 2000
Type: Residential/ Offices/ Retail Spaces

On Borneo and Sporenburg, the Whale is one of three significant “meteorites” that have crashed down among the moderate row homes. The typically closed block is opened up by separating them, enabling the public to pass below. The Whale comprises a private garden created by West 8, 194 apartments, and office and retail spaces.

14) Hotel Jakarta

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Architect: SeARCH
Location: Javakade 766, 1019 SH
Year: 2018
Type: Hotels

Located on the waterfront of the IJ, this eco-friendly hotel in Amsterdam was constructed on the site of a historic port from which ships sailed to Jakarta. The building is visually stunning and environmentally friendly because of its glass, transparent façade, and unusual thirty-meter-high timber main structure.

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15) Beurs van Berlage

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Architect: Hendrik Petrus Berlage
Location: Damrak 243, 1012 ZJ
Year: 1896-1903
Type: Trade Center/ Conference & Meetings Center

The Beurs van Berlage is Holland’s most significant 19th-century building. Berlage became recognized for his brick building design.

1898–1903 saw the construction of the Beurs van Berlage. There was a need to recover part of the river Amstel, where merchant ships used to dock. Red bricks made up the spectacular building embellished with historic figures and significant decorations. Trade was Beurs van Berlage’s major aim. It supported the stock market for years. It hosts meetings and activities nowadays.

16) OZW

©Jeanne Dekkers Architectuur

Architect: Jeanne Dekkers Architectuur
Location: De Boelelaan 1109
Year: 1997
Type: Institutional

The OZW Institute building, located on the campus of VU University, is distinguished by its curving brick, asymmetrical vertical windows, and sporadic glass bays, all of which are reminiscent of Amsterdam architecture School.

17) Bicycle Flat

©Diego Lucas

Architect: VMX Architects
Location: Stationsplein 49 1012 AB
Year: 2001
Type: Parking space

The construction is the first of its kind, positioned near Central Station, making it ideal for cyclists. Though it was built in 2004 as a temporary place to keep bicycles during extensive station repairs, the building is still in use today.

18) ING House

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Architect: Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten
Location: Amstelveenseweg 500
Year: 2003
Type: Institutional

The ING Group’s previous Dutch headquarters, affectionately known as “the shoe,” is the ING House. The structure is distinctive, lifted off the ground, and held by V-shaped columns over 10 meters in height.

With its double-glazed shell and sun-shading features, the building may be heated and cooled without using any of the structure’s energy, providing a better work environment for its occupants.

19) The Rock

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Architect: Erick van Egeraat
Location: Claude Debussylaan 80
Year: 2009
Type: Housing/ Offices

The structure gets its moniker because of its stony façade. The building’s glass and aluminum façade give it a top-heavy appearance, in contrast to more conventional tower designs that become progressively lighter as they ascend. That’s why, at the very peak, van Egeraat used a mixture of stone and concrete to emphasize the point.

20) IJ Tower

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Architect: Neutelings Riedijk Architects
Location: Oostelijke Handelskade 1213
Year: 1998
Type: Housing/ Offices

The carved apertures in the white cement tower’s face are the building’s most distinctive feature. These crimson-brown windows provide selective vistas of the city and give rise to various apartment layouts inside the structure.

21) Het Scheepvaarthuis

©Rappange & Partners architects bv

Architect: Johan Godart and Adolf Daniel Nicholas van Gendt
Location: Prins Hendrikkade 108, 1011 AK
Year: 1913-1916, 1926-1928
Type: Headquarters for shipping companies

The Shipping House is often seen as the first building to embody the colorful, brick-and-ornamental Amsterdam School style. Its functional office space and stunning stone carvings illustrating the Dutch Empire set it apart when it served as the headquarters for six major Amsterdam shipping corporations.

22) Oude Kerk

©Mice Industry

Architect: Vater-Müller
Location: Oudekerksplein 23
Year: 1565
Type: Church

The Oude Kerk, spanning back to the 16th century, is Amsterdam’s oldest structure, ironically situated amid the city’s Red Light District. Wooden beams and stained glass windows outline the design. Because of careful preservation efforts, the church looks just as it did when Rembrandt first visited.

23) Muziekgebouw

©Erik van Gurp

Architect: 3XN
Location: Piet Heinkade 1
Year: 2005
Type: Concert Hall

The Muziekgebouw houses two music organizations, yet it was built as one cohesive structure. Among these features are a glass-enclosed gathering space, a vast canopied outdoor area along the harbor, and a sturdy cube that cantilevers outward from the structure to face the city center.

24) The Edge

©Ronald Tilleman

Architect: PLP Architecture
Location: Gustav Mahlerlaan 2970
Year: 2015
Type: Office Building

The Edge, an office skyscraper in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas business area, has a 15-story atrium and bills itself as the greenest structure in the world. The atrium is the building’s social hub and acts as a protective barrier from the outside world, cutting down on HVAC costs. PLP designed and planned the Edge’s interiors to evoke many emotional responses from employees.

©Ronald Tilleman

25) REM Eiland Rooftop

©Ewout Huibers

Architect: Concrete
Location: Haparandadam 45
Year: 2011
Type: Office Building

The project entails an office on the first deck and a restaurant on decks two and three with an additional story. With a 360-degree observatory deck, the top has an extensive public terrace at 25 meters. The unique red-and-white-checkered structure is 15 meters from the coast on 12-meter columns.

26) Amsterdam Orphanage

Architect: Aldo van Eyck
Location: IJsbaanpad 7
Year: 1960
Type: Orphanage

Aldo van Eyck’s first significant construction endeavor was this masterpiece. While it was initially built as an orphanage in 1960, the complex’s most distinguishing characteristic is how positive and negative spaces are distributed throughout the property. Each program unit has many different “faces” since it is arranged on an orthogonal grid with two diagonal projections. With this effect, many empty spots are made from positive ones.

27) Lex van Delden Bridge

©Arjen Schmitz

Architect: Dok Architecten
Location: De Boelgracht
Year: 2013
Type: Bridge

The Boelelaan and Gershwinplein, as well as the city center and the suburb, are linked by the Lex van Delden Bridge. At the same time as it serves as a passageway for vehicles, the bridge also provides a resting spot where passengers may take a break and admire the scenery. Pedestrians may relax with a drink of their preference in the evening sun, thanks to the inclusion of tables, seats, and benches.

©Thijs Wolzak

In reality, no architectural style best describes Amsterdam architecture; instead, the city’s skyline is one of the most complex and intriguing in the world due to how several techniques have been layered onto one another throughout the years.

Whether Amsterdam has some of the world’s most stunning architecture is up for debate, and the answer depends on your perspective. But notwithstanding, it is clear that water and water management play a pivotal role in this one-of-a-kind metropolis since they are present in the vast majority of the shown examples.

This guide might go on endlessly, but we think you’ve covered all you need to know about the iconic Amsterdam architecture; save it for your next trip to the Netherlands’s capital, and prepare to be awestruck by the stunning sights you see at every turn.