Dutch design dares to be different

With Amsterdam turning 750 in 2025, go beyond the city's famous Canal District and explore its futuristic new structures

- Suzanne Sng

AMSTERDAM - The Dutch capital may be famous for its crooked canal houses, so often depicted on souvenir magnets and tea towels, but the city's architecture is far from stuck in the past.

Go beyond the postcard-perfect facades of the Canal District - a Unesco World Heritage Site - to explore striking contemporary structures that defy gravity, the curvaceous brickwork of the Amsterdam School of architecture and the storybook eclecticism of Exoticism.

The city, which blends old and new with ease, is in celebration mode for its 750th birthday on Oct 27 (amsterdam750.nl/en).

Amsterdam's year-long celebrations include a special opportunity to view the city from above at Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th-century church, which is due for restorations. From May to November, temporary scaffolding has been placed on the roof for visitors who brave the 216 steps to the top.

Another notable event on the jam-packed calendar is the open house of the iconic Beurs Van Berlage on Aug 23. Admire the elegant red-brick former stock exchange - now an events venue - which has influenced architects, including those from the Amsterdam School, since its completion in 1903.

MODERN BUILDS Playful modern buildings which look like a bathtub or a shard of crystal sit comfortably next to centuries-old brick houses in Amsterdam.

The contrast is often stark, but never displeasing to the eye. Clean lines, unusual shapes and clever design make these newcomers to the historic city stand out in bold, creative ways.

NEMO SCIENCE MUSEUM The impressive copper-green Nemo Science Museum (Oosterdok 2, 1011 VX; str.sg/r3g7) on the docklands may look like the hull of a ship, but the Renzo Piano-designed building is actually inspired by the curvature of the traffic tunnel it sits on top of.

Rising out of the water, it is striking both by day and by night, especially when approached on one of the city's many canal cruise boats.