‘Ribs’ of brickwork

Block 47 is situated on Haveneiland Oost, which forms part of the IJburg urban expansion area. The master plan for this area was designed by the Architekten Cie. (Frits van Dongen), Claus en Kaan Architecten (Felix Claus) and the city’s spatial planning department (Ton Schaap). The section to the west of Pampuslaan, where Block 47 is situated, is less uniform than the rest of the neighbourhood, partly due to the insertion of the Havenkwartier.

The complex, which is entirely of brick and borders on one side on the harbour, contains a mix of owner-occupied and rental dwellings and commercial spaces. On the east and west side is an eight-storey high-rise containing apartments, offices and commercial spaces. Vertical ‘ribs’ of brickwork emphasize the building’s height. Partly as a result, the block has a monumental, metropolitan aura. At right angles to the high-rise, lengthwise in the block, are two four-storey rows with stacked maisonettes. The lowest maisonettes all have their own entrance directly on the street, while the upper dwellings are accessed via five entrance halls. These also give access to a communal garden, which is part of a large inner courtyard that is bisected by a small canal.

In the courtyard, whose elevations are clad with light-coloured tiles, nine court dwellings, which are accessed via a path along the canal, stand right on the water’s edge. The various components give rise to a complex rich in contrast, in which all of IJburg’s urbanistic elements come together. The fact that the inner courtyard is publicly accessible gives the block an open, ‘porous’ character. (ARCAM)