YKK Dormitory

The YKK Dormitory is located in Kurobe, Japan, it was built in 1998.  The outside of the building is kind of bland with boxy structures lined up in a row. The inside, however, I really enjoy.  The inside has a very simplistic design and Hertzbergers ideas on letting the space be defined by different uses really shines through.  The way that the dorms are connected with glass hallways that are almost like tunnels but with lots of light. One of the most pleasing parts of the building though is the shielded courtyard area where there is a reflection pool and some plants.  The way each of the dorm rooms function allows people living there to customize the room to the way that they like best.

The Chasse Concert Hall

This is the largest concert hall in the Netherlands, built in 1995 located in Breda/  This seems like a departure from Hertzbergers previous designs. The concert hall seems like much more of a work of art in and of itself.  There seems like there was a more concerted focus on the aesthetics of the building itself with its sweeping wavy lines. There is more colour in this building than many of his others with a bright red greeting the patron inside.  The building was obviously designed with acoustics in mind, being a concert hall, and that’s reflected in the slanted shape of the roof

CODA Shelter for Culture

This building is also located in Apeldoorn, Netherlands it was completed in 2011.  This building has a much less dated design and really looks quite modern. The dark grey and glass exterior is very clean with nice lines.  The building carries on the idea structuralist ideas of the Central Beheer offices. The building holds an art museum but in keeping with Hertzberger’s structuralist ideas there are no fixed walls in the underground gallery section.  The building also houses part of a library, really excelling in the multiple-use idea that Hertzberger was working toward. There is lots of light through the building and large spaces since there aren’t fixed walls.

Central Beheer Offices

This building is in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.  It was designed by Herman Hertzberger and built-in 1970.  The building is very interesting in that Hertzberger tried to design it in a way that the space could be utilized in different ways.  Hertzberger didn’t want to make a building that was for a single-use, instead hoping to create a space that could be used in a bunch of different ways, adapting with the people inside. The inside has lots of small nooks where people were supposed to interact with each other.  Overall the building is a little boxy for my tastes and some of the materials used inside give it a dated look. The intention behind the building is really interesting and an idea that I think should be included in most buildings.