16 Amsterdam Duivendrecht, retrofits and works of light art

Amsterdam Duivendrecht is a station with 2 layers. Two tracks from Weesp to Schiphol downstairs and the tracks from Amsterdam to Utrecht and the metro tracks upstairs. The station was designed by architect Peter van Kilsdonk who also designed the stations in Almere, Zaandam, Oss and Doetinchem.

The platforms are lit by spotlights placed between two triangular partitions. The triangles are typical of Van Kilsdonk's architecture. The Lighting Programme had the spotlights between the triangles converted to LED with a new LED interior (retrofit).

There are a number of light artworks in the station, such as the slide under the stairs and the circular skylight see next page. Inside, the artworks were lit with fluorescent tubes, but those were poorly accessible for maintenance. They were often flickering, as a result of which the art had a negative effect on the experience rather than positive.

We replaced the fluorescent fixtures inside the artworks with standard surface-mounted LED fixtures. The opal plates were cleaned. The light artworks are now clean and whole and have regained their function as a landmark in the station.

Tips and conclusions:

– Bespoke fixtures are part of the architecture and cannot simply be replaced by standard fixtures.

– Light art only works when clean and whole.

With LED, light artworks will remain whole for 10 years.

Ensure that the artworks are cleaned at least once a year.