An Indoor Village where Informal Bonds Bloom in the Streets and Squares
Zaandam is a city with deep industrial roots — timber processing and papermaking flourished here as far back as the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. Tucked inside one of its industrial zones stood a paper factory that had long since fallen silent, left to sit idle. Recently, however, life has begun to stir within those walls again — reborn as The Hope (De Hoop), a vast indoor village shared by some two hundred creative entrepreneurs and craftspeople.
The building itself is an uninspiring collection of metal boxes, sitting without any apparent spark in an unremarkable corner of the industrial zone. Inside, years of haphazard alterations had rendered even its sole original quality — the repetitive order of its design — all but indistinguishable. And yet, this rough accumulation of time, layered inside and out, becomes something of a device that heightens the dramatic reversal awaiting those who step through the door. From the outside, it reads as an ordinary factory warehouse. The moment you enter, you find yourself face to face with a sprawling indoor village, alive with energy.
Inside, streets, alleys, and squares radiate in every direction. The cavernous interior of the warehouse serves as the ground itself, upon which multi-level plywood structures rise to serve as individual studios for resident creators. Each tenant is free to cut their own doors and windows into the plywood facades, shaping their space to suit their own practice and personality.
The voids left between these studio units — each essentially a small building unto itself — naturally give rise to alleys, squares, and courtyards. Much like a real city, some of these places are busy and full of people; others are quiet and suited for contemplation. The building’s original generous ceiling heights and skylights have been preserved, lending the interior an unexpectedly open, almost outdoor quality — so much so that residents can often be seen cycling through the wide corridors. Rest, play, and making all unfold across these varied spaces, weaving a multi-layered scene of daily life.
These spatial voids act as a powerful catalyst for organic community. Given the project’s temporary nature, building a strong community from the outset was essential — so from the planning stages, prospective tenants were enlisted to take an active role in the building process, laying the groundwork for genuine collaboration. As a result, informal bonds that rarely take root in conventional offices bloom naturally in the streets and squares of The Hope.
What this project ultimately demonstrates is the potential of process over finished form. By placing a flexible framework onto worn hardware and trusting residents with the freedom to shape it, The Hope offers a compelling new model for urban regeneration — one that doesn’t settle into a fixed state, but continues to evolve.
Project: The Hope (De Hoop) / Location: Barndegat 6, 1505 HN Zaandam, Netherlands / Architect: Dries Architecture (Stijn Dries) / Structural engineer: Imd / Contractor: Stijn Dries / Construction team: Howard de Vries, Daniela Francisca / Client: Stichting Crealisatie / Use: creative community / Gross floor area: 16,000m²/ Design: 2018 / Completion: 2024 / Photograph: ©Milena Villalba (courtesy of the architect)
