Towers and walkways

Block 42b is a large harbourside apartment building on Haveneiland Oost, near the projected northern expansion of IJburg. Six towers have been built on a plinth comprising a parking garage, on top of which is a two-storey volume. Three of the towers are directly on the harbourside and three are on the street behind.

The ground floor of the plinth contains a fitness centre, a café-restaurant and a number of small commercial units. The first floor houses 48 apartments for young people. The apartments are accessed via a wooden deck on the second floor, on which the towers are built. Here, roof gardens have been created between the towers. The towers are situated in such a way that all of the apartments have a view of the water and optimal sunlight exposure.

There are two apartments on each floor and each apartment has a view on three sides. The floor plan is reminiscent of that of semi-detached dwellings. Most of the apartments have a glazed-in balcony, while the penthouses on the seventh floor have large roof terraces. The apartments are accessed via a wide deck, which is part of the aerial walkways suspended between the towers. Because these walkways, which are incorporated in rust-coloured steel skeletons, connect all of the individual apartments, they form the backbone of the complex. In time, the two lift and service shafts will acquire a similar colour because iron filings have been added to the concrete, which will gradually give rise to a bistre-coloured pattern. (ARCAM/YK)