Amsterdam Creative Campus
Industrial Harbour Transformed into a Creative Hub
Amsterdam is flourishing as a startup capital across multiple creative sectors. In response, WOMO Architects designed a 30,000m² mass timber creative hub in Minervahaven, transforming an industrial harbour into a vibrant campus for studios, offices, and a landmark auditorium overlooking the dramatic waterfront.
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Located in Amsterdam’s evolving Minervahaven district, the Amsterdam Creative Campus by WOMO Architects reimagines a historic industrial harbour as a dynamic centre for the creative industries. The 30,000m² mixed-use development brings together studios, flexible office spaces, and a landmark auditorium, positioning itself at the forefront of Amsterdam’s growing reputation as a European startup and creative capital.
Rooted in the site’s legacy as a timber storage harbour, the design responds to both its industrial past and its future as a thriving creative district. The building avoids a monolithic presence, instead adopting a layered composition of stacked volumes that shift to create terraces, maximise daylight, and frame views across the River IJ.
This articulated massing strategy not only enhances visual permeability and urban integration but also enables highly efficient, flexible floor plates suited to a wide range of creative industries—from fashion and media to architecture and advertising.
A defining feature of the project is its commitment to sustainability through mass timber construction. Expressive curved columns, inspired by the natural geometry of tree trunks, shape the façade and reflect the site’s historical connection to wood processing. These structural elements open to reveal a dramatic triple-height auditorium, creating a visible hub of activity and offering panoramic harbour views.
At ground level, the building engages directly with the urban context, forming a cantilevered volume that shelters an existing bus terminal and establishes a strong civic identity at the district’s entrance.
The Amsterdam Creative Campus stands as a model for adaptive industrial transformation—where heritage, innovation, and sustainability converge to support the next generation of creative enterprise.
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Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Project Size: 30,000 m² / 322,917 ft²
Client: Angelo Gordon | APF International
Themes: Offices | Adaptive Reuse | Waterfront | Timber | Harbour
Collaborators: Renders by Norm Li
Exploratory Design Process
