Containing 72 rental apartments, the building is located in the middle of the Overhoeks district of Amsterdam. In this dynamic residential and employment area, buildings and greenery alternate with one another in a campus-like setting. Because of the dense development, providing sufficient daylight at street level was a key design objective.
Setbacks on the upper floors ensure good daylight conditions on the lower floors. Sitting on private verandas, residents enjoy views of the water in front and of the city centre. The verandas are real outdoor rooms, their ceiling design making them feel like an extension of the interior space.
Outdoor spaces are vertically connected by a delicate grid that wraps the main volume like a veil. The grid is composed of 7-cm-thin balcony railings and 880 slender concrete columns that are made of high-strength concrete (USHB) which can be shaped into very slim components, lending the building a stone-like appearance.
The skin that wraps the apartments is articulated with vertical aluminium profiles that are anodized a light shade of gold. All apartments are reached from three vertical points of circulation, accessed via spacious entrance halls finished to a high standard with oak panelling.
The building contains a wide variety of apartments, depending on their position within the building. Equally notable is the sustainable range of materials used. Many facade components can be removed and recycled. The apartments are connected to a shared thermal storage installation, which provides cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. In addition, the shared garden contributes to biodiversity and the well-being of the residents. The underground car park supports a shared courtyard garden that has a light feel because the building is raised slightly above ground level.
