In the early 2000s, the Ru Paré School was emblematic of the social problems facing the Amsterdam borough of Slotervaart. The Ru Paré is now the neighborhood?s living room and accommodates an extraordinary social experiment.

© Marc Faasse

Architects: BETA office for architecture and the city, Elisabeth Boersma

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Area: 3000.0 m2

Project Year: 2016

Photographs: Marc Faasse

Client: Stichting Samen Ondernemen

Landscape Architects: Rob van Dijk

Engineer: Huibers Constructieadvies

© Marc Faasse

In the early 2000s, the Ru Paré School was emblematic of the social problems facing the Amsterdam borough of Slotervaart. The Ru Paré is now the neighborhood?s living room and accommodates an extraordinary social experiment. A New kid on the Block In response to austerity measures in the Dutch economy, a social entrepreneur developed a model for solidarity in challenging neighborhoods. Inhabitants are offered tax advice, computing or language classes in return for community service; at the building level receding funding is supplemented with profitable start-ups.

© Marc Faasse

By the end of 2013 BETA and Elisabeth Boersma were asked to test this concept in a former school. A series of events was organized which not only led to useful input f...