The Oranje-Nassau Kazerne is a former military barracks in the centre of Amsterdam, along the Singelgracht canal, directly south of Artis zoo.

Each of these buildings were designed by a different team of architects and are named after the surrounding streets and squares (Sarphatistraat, Kazernestraat, Louise Wentstraat, Ir.

The buildings were part of the Hollandse Waterlinie, a defensive line around Amsterdam to protect the city from foreign invaders.

In 1810, Marshall Oudinot laid the first stone for the barracks, originally called the Quartier Saint-Charles.

The design by the city architect Abraham van der Hart and the French artillery officer Picot de Maras was based on the Vauban barracks, which had no corridors; instead the soldiers' living quarters could be reached only through internal doors and staircases.

This was also where the young men of Amsterdam who were called up for military service underwent their physical examinations.

Plans were made to demolish the building, which had an unstable foundation that was estimated to cost 5 million guilders to restore.

Following protests from local residents and the historic preservation society Monumentenzorg, new plans were presented to restore the building and convert it to apartments and offices.

Architects from six countries worked together in the middle of 1988 under the coordination of Atelier PRO to create a new design based on six apartment towers.