Eye Film Institute, Amsterdam, Holland



Architect
Delugan Meissl Associated Architects
Date Built
Opened 2012
Location
Across the IJ from Amsterdam Central Station
Description
The Eye Film Institute building occupies a site beside the IJ on land once belonging to Royal Dutch Shell.  Their former office tower, now being refurbished, stands beside it.  The architects say that the Eye building was, "... conceived as a highly tense and dynamic geometric solid. The light is reflected in multiple ways by smooth, crystalline surfaces, thus subjecting the building’s appearance to permanent optical changes during the course of the day."  In clement weather visitors to the Eye spill out onto the balcony to enjoy the views of Amsterdam's city centre across the IJ.





Inside, the centre offers four cinemas that are constantly projecting classic films. These include a 67 seats hall with a nostalgic character of Paris cinema of the year 1900, two 130 seat cinemas and a 315 seat screening auditorium.  There are also several intelligent multimedia art installations, a restaurant, bar and of course a shop.  The architects say that, "... The entrance into the building is characterized by continuous spatial concentration and directed visual relations. Spatial development, light incidence, and materiality define the path that leads from the southern glass front and the museum shop into the heart of the building.  The room widens successively, before unfolding its full dimensions as an architectural and functional focus.  The interior’s architectural formulation defines the foyer and arena as central divisors which integrate all path relations into the overall functional concept."





















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