Noorderparkbar

All the materials used to build this tiny coffee bar were bought second-hand at marktplaats.nl, a Dutch eBay type site, from around a hundred individuals and small traders. Yet, the pavilion looks brand new. The architects and designers of Bureau SLA and Overtreders W not only designed the bar: they also acted as initiators, fund-raisers, traders and builders on the project. It was only because of this bottom-up approach that the project was finally carried out, in spite of the financial crisis that has put a brake on the Dutch construction industry. The process of creating the bar was in itself somewhat unusual. Finding money for the project through a website for crowd-funding, buying the second-hand materials, meant that designing and building took place simultaneously. It was impossible to make a final design beforehand, since what's on offer at marktplaats.nl changes continuously.