Apartment building with amenities in nineteenth-century street facade

In the Spaarndammerbuurt district, with a view of the former Houthavens docks – where in the future a waterside residential development is to be built – an apartment block has been constructed with a supermarket and a coffee shop on the ground floor.

The three entrances are separated by semicircular, white concrete forms, as a result of which the appearance of the ground floor contrasts sharply with the brick screen that has been placed in front of the storeys above and which acts as a noise barrier for the galleries behind. The elevation and railings on the openwork galleries are gold-coloured, which due to the interplay with the openwork brick façade creates unusual light effects during the day and at night, and both on the inside and on the outside.
Each storey gives access to five four-roomed dwellings. The open kitchens are situated on the gallery side. The living rooms with balconies, with a view of the communal interior garden, are at the rear of the building. In this garden, which is situated at the bottom of Spaardammerdijk and a half level lower than the street, a game is played with different levels. The parking garage and studios in the basement, which is situated another half level lower, are accessible from the street and have a view of the garden. Entry to the garden from here is via a small flight of steps. As regards height and volume, the building fits in with the nineteenth-century Spaarndammerstraat, and as regards material it is in keeping with the sculptural brickwork of surrounding architecture of the Amsterdam School. At the same time, the architect has created a contemporary icon on this prominent site. (ARCAM/YK/FG)