Faralda NDSM Crane Hotel Amsterdam

Faralda NDSM Crane Hotel Amsterdam rises above the former NDSM shipyard in Amsterdam-Noord, beside the IJ. The former industrial crane holds three suites about 35 metres above the ground. Built by Hensen in the 1950s as crane number 13, it served the Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij shipyard. Its steel frame now overlooks the river and Amsterdam’s northern skyline.

After the shipyard went bankrupt in 1984, the crane stood unused for roughly 25 years and fell into disrepair. Restoration began in 2013, with the structure transported on a 100-metre pontoon to Franeker. It returned to Amsterdam that October and opened as a hotel in April 2014. The tower still rotates on a central bearing, while water, electricity and fire-safety systems pass through its narrow rotating axis.

Inside, Edward van Vliet and Heidi Much shaped three individually designed suites with Chivasso textiles, Grohe fittings and Villeroy & Boch equipment. A jacuzzi sits at the very top, above rooms suspended in the crane’s former working structure. The listed national monument now also hosts media events, festivals and music performances, including Amsterdam Dance Event programmes. Its silhouette keeps the NDSM shipbuilding past visible while the creative district gathers artists, designers and businesses around it.