“The floors and other applications needed to be tough. After all, it’s an active building with active students.” Photography courtesy the American Hardwood Export Council.

In the heart of Amsterdam on Oosterdok Island is the unique Amsterdam Conservatory. Completed in 2008 and recognized as the largest and most diverse conservatory in the Netherlands, the eye-catching structure showcases a variety of building materials. American red oak is predominant in the design, adding natural warmth and beauty to the structure, in harmony with the building’s interesting mix of concrete, steel, and glass.

Situated next to the imposing Library of Amsterdam, the Conservatory stands out with an ingenious use of glass. Its neon side walls are arranged in three different saw-tooth patterns, which define the building’s vertical organization. In the words of architect Frits Van Dongen: “Plinth, body, and architrave.”

The impressive facility has three distinct elements arranged in vertical components: the “Performing Heart” made up of the foyer and five auditoriums; the college building with classrooms; and the study building with the library, lecture hall and offices. Challenged with combining the three clusters was Van Dongen, a partner of Cie. Architecture, and self-proclaimed “tinkerer,” whose work is indeed a masterpiece.

The ceilings above the entrance and the mini bay windows provide a preview of the most widely used wood species in the building—American red oak. The sustainably-harvested hardwood is used for ceilings, walls, floors, stairs, furniture, doors, and window frames on most of the building’s levels. A particular showcase for the red oak is the foyer, a central area of the “Performing Heart,” where it appears over large areas, including the ceiling, mezzanine, floors, and stairs. The red oak provides striking contrast to the glass and the concrete columns. The use of wood was a formality for Van Dongen who said “wood expresses the warmth of the art form of which the building is dedicated—music.”