Architecture of AppropriationArchitecture of Appropriation

This large industrial complex in the middle of Amsterdam has been squatted on two occasions and is now legalized as a major sub-cultural center.

In the early 1980s a group of squatters briefly occupied a large former printing office built around a 19th century church in Amsterdam's Plantage district. After their eviction, the complex was temporarily used as a school before becoming vacant again for several years. In 1998 squatters took possession of the site again. As many squats in Amsterdam were threatened with eviction at the time, the new inhabitants started a campaign to legalize their premises and living conditions in order to secure the building in the long term.

After a period of negotiations, the group purchased the complex in collaboration with the municipality's newly established office for creative spaces and took it off the market by means of a leasehold. Following the legalization the occupants started to renovate and transform the building, fostering social interaction among its users, for instance by adding internal windows that created spatial relations and connections. They also constructed affordable studios, workshops and a café-restaurant. The enclosed church was restored to its original condition and used as a cultural venue. Plantage Dok has since developed into an important meeting place within Amsterdam's sub-cultural scene.