In this article, we will discuss the monumental site of NDSM, in particular the “monumental heritage” that can be found at the shipyard in the form of buildings and objects from the past. Exactly what monumental heritage means is open to debate. However, the government uses one definition by The National Office for Cultural Heritage (RCE): “Monuments are historic buildings, archaeological sites or green structures created by humans, such as parks”. These are protected by the national government, province or municipality because of their cultural-historical value, according to the RCE.

At the NDSM shipyard, you will come across a number of these national monuments, which can be found in the register for national monuments. If you enter the zip code of the NDSM shipyard in this search engine, you will immediately get a number of hits: de Smederij, NDSM Scheepsbouwloods, Lasloods, and the slopes.

Smithy

The Smithy, recognisable for its typical “gabled roofs”, is a collection of buildings and a square in the heart of the NDSM shipyard. This 1909 building was first located on the old NSM on Oostenburg and was used for sheet metal processing. It has been at its current location since 1927 and consists of steel-framed facades with different sized sections that alternate with brick masonry, and door and windows with square windows. After moving from the NSM shipyard to the Noorder IJ polder in the north, the warehouse was demolished and rebuilt in two parts at the new site location. From that moment on, sheet metal processing at the shipyard would take place in the large Scheepbouwloods (NDSM Loods), allowing the Forge to be used for other purposes. The first and largest part after the relocation became the Timmerwinkel, for mechanical woodworking, furniture making, veneering and polishing. The other and smaller part was set up as a Forge. This is where the smaller ironwork was done, for components that could not be purchased from the shelf at the time, such as ship fittings and tools. In the lower and separate building with the gabled roofs, the Central Workshop, electrical and air tools were lent and maintained. This workshop was also known as the “air warehouse”.

De Smederij was restored to its previous glory by G&S& (former BMB development) in collaboration with the preservation of monuments in 2014. The buildings are now an inspiring meeting place and business spaces where, among others, the Greenpeace Foundation, Paramount Benelux, Emolife Campaigning, and the Double Tree by Hilton are located. On the Forge Square works of art are often shown in public spaces, such as the Camping Nature City high-rise from Willem de Haan, Dazzle Trip from Yamuna Forzani, Monument by Manaf Halbouni, and much more.

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Shipbuilding shed

An icon of NDSM: the Shipbuilding Shed, also known as the NDSM Warehouse named, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. Anyone who has ever been to the NDSM Loods is familiar with the enormous size of this building, which is defined by brick facades with a steel frame structure, tall blue doors and windows with narrow, tall windows. During the shipbuilding era, several parts of the production process were invested in this building, but mainly large steel plates were processed and then (from 1952) brought to the Lasloods for assembly. The full name of the shipyard is written on the facade of the Shipyard: Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij, whose letters NDSM are marked extra white.

After the shipbuilding period, the NDSM Loods became abandoned and fell into disrepair. From the '90s, artists moved to NDSM: several buildings on the shipyard were squatted, including the NDSM Loods, after which breeding grounds and studio spaces were created that were the basis for the cultural identity that NDSM now bears. The breeding ground that was created at that time was later managed by Kinetic North Foundation further developed and is now known as De Kunststad. With 80 studios, the City of Art covers roughly one third of the immense surface area of the NDSM Loods. The other parts of the warehouse are rented out for filming, photo shoots, dance, music and theater performances, exhibitions, auctions, corporate and dance parties, markets, conferences and much more.

Lasloods

It's not hard to guess what happened in the Lasloods in the times of shipbuilding: welding took place. The huge steel plates that were shaped and cut to the correct size in the NDSM Warehouse were then brought to the Lasloods to be assembled. This was done via a steam locomotive called Jumbo on railway tracks that can be found all over the site. Fun fact: the rails, like the buildings mentioned in this article, are classified as cultural heritage and should therefore not be changed or removed from the site (they have been closed to prevent accidents).

After the times of shipbuilding, the Lasloods was also deserted for a while, after which it had several destinations, including a place for the winter in later years. IJ-halls. From these halls came the request for more artistic content for the large warehouse during the market. This manifested itself until the final idea of a Street Art Museum was approved. Meanwhile, it sits STRAAT Museum at NDSM for 4 years and is an integral part of the street art that has been found all over the shipyard for years.

The Slopes

In the shipbuilding period just after the Second World War, there were 8 ramps across the entire NDSM shipyard. Among other things, immense mammoth tankers were made here, or they were used to store materials. When the ships were ready, they were launched on the slope and, after baptism, slipped into the water from the slope. The ramp door that had to be opened before is still in the water on NDSM near the Feralda Crane (Crane 13). The latter is an original crane that served in the times of shipbuilding on NDSM and has now been fully restored and is used as a hotel.

Most of the ramps were demolished after the closure of NDSM as a shipyard, except for two: the present small X and major Y slopes. The Y-slope and the spaces below offer space for countless artists and small companies. The office of Stichting NDSM-werf is also located under the Y slope. The X slope is currently being renovated, but workshops are also normally located in this smaller slope.

The buildings mentioned above are therefore classified as national monuments. But what does that actually mean? Is a historical context necessary to eventually achieve a monumental status, or is a monument more than that? And what should contemporary monuments look like? These are the questions we will put to the test in the coming weeks in the context of the exhibition (Un) monumenting: The Future Should Always Be Better. Follow us on our social media channels and don't miss a thing!

Would you like to know more about the NDSM shipyard's shipbuilding past? Then check out the website of NDSM Revives Foundation.