Scheepsbouwwwwhat? No, it’s not a Dutch tongue-twister (or maybe it is, when you try saying it ten times fast). Today I wanted to share more of the awesome venue of my *ehem* totally low-key, intimate birthday brunch. It’s called the NDSM-Scheepsbouwloods, which translates to NDSM Shipbuilding Shed or Hall.

(By the way, if you want another tongue-twister, NDSM stands for Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij, or the Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company. Let’s just stick to NDSM.)

“Shed” or “hall” are modest ways to describe this immense industrial space. Part of the former ship yard NDSM-Werf, this 100 by 200-meter hall was taken over by a foundation called Stichting Kinetisch Noord, which envisioned it as a creative hub. They built basic structures and gave free rein to the tenants—artists, set builders, theater groups, events companies, all creative people—to finish them and thus control the design and budget of their studios, workshops, even homes.

The results are some pretty awesome creative spaces—10,000 square meters of them. We didn’t have time to explore the entire complex, but we did have a few minutes after brunch to take a little peek.

This portion of the NDSM-loods also houses a 2,000-sq. meter skate park floating seven meters above the ground. Seems like a really cool place to skateboard!

It wouldn’t be Dutch without the ever-present bicycles. These black, single-speed city bikes are kind you’ll most commonly find in Amsterdam, called oma fietsen (granny bikes).

With an oma fiets, so there’s no hunching over like you would on a mountain bike. It makes most Amsterdam cyclists look relaxed and laid-back while on their bikes… well, until they curse you, give you dirty looks or run you over. Bike rage exists, people, and it lives in Amsterdam.

The one with the high crossbar is a men’s bike, while the one with the low-slung crossbar is a ladies’ bike—because it wouldn’t be becoming for ladies in skirts to swing their leg over a high crossbar to mount a bike. Also note the number of locks—two heavy chains per bike is pretty standard around here. I’ve heard it said that a bike is stolen in Amsterdam every 9 seconds!

We found our initials lying around the NDSM-loods. Type-spotting is always fun!

A significant portion of the NDSM-loods is dedicated to youth activities like theater performances and exhibits, and some of the tenants build sets for theaters. We saw a few glimpses of that here.

I love creative spaces like these. When we lived in Singapore, it seemed like something was always being bulldozed over to make way for a shiny new “hub” for something or other—a youth hub, a technology hub, a cultural hub, you name it. Man, just typing the word “hub” brings me back to those government briefs trumpeting one hub after another. And did they really become those buzzing centers of creative energy? You tell me, I don’t live in Singapore anymore.

Creative spaces like the NDSM-loods, and the NDSM-Werf in general, appeal to me because they have an authenticity and character that speaks of resourcefulness, a kind of fighting spirit. They speak of creativity that doesn’t simply come from throwing money at something (although money helps!). It may not be perfect, but it sure is real. And that’s what makes it more than just very cool.