Jaap Huisman, reporter of Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool, paid a visit to the CrossOver building, which is almost completed. “Opposites attract in the new Crossover complex,” is the headline of his article, of course referring to the “interesting mix” of offices, catering, owner-occupied homes and 120 ‘startblock studios’, intended for working young people and permitted refugees. But he also puts CrossOver in a wider context of the city of Amsterdam, and Zuidas especially, in which opposites are paramount; it is young versus settled, it is foreign versus Dutch, small versus spacious, tiny houses versus megablocks. In CrossOver, all these opposites come together.
Huisman is also positive about the design of the brick facade, which is different on each side: “That is the secret of a successful mega block: there is no dull moment.” He notes the strongly protruding facade under which a café-restaurant is planned. “In combination with the Hogelandplein in front of the door, this could well become an attractive place.”
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