1. The project: Yardenhuis funeral centre Amsterdam South East

Yardenhuis Amsterdam South East is the very first multicultural funeral centre in Amsterdam. The building opened its doors in 2019. The Yardenhuis Amsterdam South East was designed entirely together with people from different cultures, religions, backgrounds and communities in the district. The funeral centre therefore offers all residents of Amsterdam South East the opportunity to organise funerals in their own way. The yellow colour of the concrete elements, combined with wooden elements, gives the building a soft feel, without it being swallowed up by the surrounding urban environment.

2. Byldis contribution to this project

Byldis contribution: Ochre-yellow concrete elements with ribbed structure.

3. Why was Byldis chosen?

The reasons why Byldis was chosen for this project include the time savings and the reduced risk of communication failure during construction. The choice for concrete was fairly logical, according to Paul Verbruggen (architect at PKW Delft). “Amsterdam South East has a hard, urban backdrop, with lots of concrete. A wooden building just wouldn’t fit in here. At the same time, concrete offers a kind of protection; security for the people who want to use this building to say goodbye to their loved ones in their own way.”

4. Challenges & solutions

Tight construction site
The biggest challenge of this project, as well as developing a beautiful, smooth colour, was the construction location. There was very little space available on site. This demanded a tight schedule in terms of delivery. There was space for just one lorry on the construction site. The next one stood waiting in a nearby car park.

Ochre-yellow elements
Despite the choice for tough concrete, the architect also wanted the building to have a warm feel. He therefore chose elements with an ochre-yellow colour, combined with the use of wood. We obtained the colour by using quartz as an aggregate. This generates a natural, warm colour in the concrete. Byldis made several test pieces before the elements were produced. The test pieces were sandblasted, which actually accentuated the colour.

Ribbed structure
As well as ochre-yellow elements, the facade has elements with a ribbed structure. "We achieved this by adding structured mats to the mould," said Henk Louwerens, project manager at Byldis. "As the ribs run vertically, you don’t have to worry about dirt accumulating on the facade. Furthermore, the elements are impregnated, which means they are dirt resistant."

5. Facts & figures

6. Footage

7. More information about Funeral centre Amsterdam South East

In the news

• “Yarden”. 21-01-2019. Source: Byldis
• “Yardenhuis Amsterdam in magazine Stedenbouw”. 08-06-2020. Source: Stedenbouw

More information (in Dutch)

• https://www.yarden.nl/uitvaartlocatie/yardenhuis-amsterdam-zuidoost.htm