Anyone arriving at Amsterdam’s Central Station during the past few weeks could not have missed the multi-coloured typographic-tower at the waterfront. The A’dam Toren is a new symbol and a point of pride for the regeneration of Amsterdam’s North side - an area seen as the new creative center of Amsterdam.
The two gigantic banners (each measuring 52 x 25 meters) feature an eclectic array of song titles - and together make the biggest building wrap in the Netherlands. The unashamedly bold design, by The Stone Twins, is based on the architectural grid of the tower. According to the duo, the vivid colours and arresting typography convey the energy behind the exciting redevelopment plans for the tower. The positive messaging references many iconic dance-tracks such as ‘Go’, ‘I Feel Love’, ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’, ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’, amongst others. Importantly, the music theme reflects the heritage and core-business of the developers/anchor tenants: ID&T, AIR and MassiveMusic.
The building wrap forms part of the rebranding campaign for the former Amsterdam Headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell. The new brand name A’dam (also devised by The Stone Twins) is a cheeky reference to the well-known abbreviation of Amsterdam, as well as an acronym for ‘Amsterdam Dance and Music’. From June 2014, the tower will be redeveloped into a mix of offices, entertainment venues, a hotel and an observation point with a revolving restaurant. It is due to open in late 2015.
Photography: © Marc Driessen