The Evolution of the Stopera

Abstract

The Stopera
is an integration of a music theatre and a city hall, situated at Waterlooplein
in Amsterdam.  Before the combination, it
was supposed to be a separate music theatre by Bijvoet & Holt at Ferdinand  Bolstraat and a city hall by Holzbauer at the
Waterlooplein. The architects made multiple iterations for  both separate designs. This thesis examines
the elements retained from these separate plans that merge  the city hall and music theatre.   The research questions follow: “How did the
design elements of Bijvoet & Holt’s music theatre (1978),  Holzbauer’s city hall (1978), Holzbauer’s
Stopera (1979), the collaboration between the stakeholders,  and the financial constraints influence the
final design of Holzbauer & Dam’s Stopera (1981)?”.  The research includes an analysis of the most
recent version of the drawings of each project and the  written statements provided by the architects.
The book “Rumoer aan de Amstel”, written by De Liagre  Böhl, is used as a red thread of historical
context, while newspaper articles offer insight into the  collaboration among the involved parties and
the final expenses. Additionally, the program of  requirements published by the municipality
provides an overview of the program of the Stopera.   Research shows that various elements of both
projects are recognisable in the design of the Stopera. For  instance, the windows from the music theatre
and Holzbauer’s proposal look similar to the windows of  the Stopera. Furthermore, the functional
layout of the city hall and Holzbauer’s proposal of integration  are recognisable in the design of the Stopera.
It is important to note that the collaboration among the  different stakeholders was far from seamless,
which may have contributed to unexpectedly high final  expenses.