Inventive and adventurous

An opportunity arose to build housing in a hybrid location between the desolate car park of Gelderlandplein shopping centre and Gijsbrecht van Aemstelpark. An important urbanistic requirement was that the view of the park from the neighbourhood should be preserved. Because it was assumed that this favourable location with regard to shops and green space would attract affluent residents, it was decided to build more expensive housing here.

A complex comprising four volumes, which contain 36 apartments, has been realized. The four volumes have a minimal footprint on the ground but widen towards the top. This construction has resulted in overhangs of up to seven metres. The four volumes, which have a lightweight wooden façade cladding, are interlinked to ensure stability.
The eye-catcher is the communal atrium, which is roofed over and screened off with glass. The continuous space of this ‘glasshouse’ contains entrances, private terraces and a collective garden. The water in the park extends right up to, and even inside, the building and has been deployed there in order to, among other things, create privacy. The tall atrium is provided with a smoke and heat installation.

The configuration of and access to the apartments is inventive and adventurous. The spacious apartments are linked and stacked, have a variety of layouts and flexible floor plans. Most of them have large areas of glass and spacious terraces. The atrium and many of the apartments are emphatically oriented to the park and to the sun. (ARCAM)