Design process for DRAKA Amsterdam begins

A new chapter for DRAKA is taking shape in Amsterdam-Noord.

On September 21st 2026, the design teams gathered at the former DRAKA industrial site in the Hamerkwartier, marking the start of the design process For Neutelings Riedijk Architects, it was a first opportunity to explore the building we will transform — to understand its robust structure, industrial character and spatial potential.

The project does not start with a blank sheet. It starts with what is already there.

The existing building carries the memory of DRAKA’s industrial past and offers the framework for its future. Our ambition is to build upon these qualities: preserving character where it matters, transforming where new possibilities emerge, and opening the building to new uses and new connections with the city.

The former DRAKA site is being developed by AM Gebiedsontwikkeling and Amvest into a mixed urban district with approximately 1,500 homes and 30,000 m² of workspaces and amenities. As part of the wider transformation of the Hamerkwartier, the former industrial enclave will gradually become a new piece of Amsterdam where living, working, culture and public life come together.

Arons en Gelauff architecten and FABRICations are developing the urban and architectural framework. Together with Studio Nauta, Atelier Kempe Thill, MONADNOCK, VLOT architecten and ATTRA, Neutelings Riedijk Architects now moves into the next phase.

Transformation starts by looking closely. Reading the building before drawing: understanding what should remain, what can change and where something entirely new can emerge.

Over the coming months, we will share how DRAKA develops from industrial heritage into a new place for Amsterdam. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile see where it all started here.