Het Funen – Verdana Wins Amsterdam New Construction Award 2011 For the fifth time, Amsterdam residents have cast their vote for the best housing project of the past year. Alderman Freek Ossel announced the winner on AT5 news. The award was presented to the residents, the client Heijmans Vastgoed, the architect NL Architects, and the builder Heijmans Woningbouw.
Het Funen – Verdana is one of sixteen unique buildings within the Het Funen courtyard on the east side of the Centrum district. Cars are not allowed on the grounds, and the residences are situated in what can be described as a city park. Het Funen has consistently ranked in the top ten for the past three years, and this year the grounds have finally been rewarded with a win.
Verdana’s ten residences are arranged back-to-back along a corridor in the center of the block. By placing the functional spaces in the “dark” part of the building, the residences face their surroundings through large windows. The patios, which overlook the undulating roof, also provide natural light and a unique outdoor space. This distinctive roof, the “fifth facade,” is covered with sedum. The Funen – Verdana received 19.7% of the votes. The Touwenterrein on Realeneiland came in second place with 12.8% of the votes, and Het Facet in West came in third place with 11.9% of the votes.
Under the watchful eye of neighbor Lodewijk Asscher, alderman Freek Ossel presented the Amsterdam New Construction Award yesterday afternoon to the residents, architects, and developers of Verdana.
That is the finishing touch of Funenpark, which was completed last year.
The festivities took place at the winning building. Designer Kamiel Klaasse and his team from NL Architects were absolutely thrilled that another residential building they designed, the Touwenterrein on Realeneiland, came in second place in the New Construction Award. "We are very happy," Klaasse responded. "It's all very unexpected. But there's clearly something appealing about a building like this."
Frits van Dongen, creator of the Funenpark master plan and now government architect, congratulated the winners: "This proves that sticking to a good idea pays off."
For developer and builder Heijmans, the New Construction Prize is also an award. In the previous three years, residential buildings in Funenpark also participated, but they had not yet won a first prize. For the Amsterdam New Construction Prize, this year for the fifth time, it is not experts, but residents who choose the best residential construction project of the previous year. Last year, Crystal Court, a luxury residential building in Buitenveldert, won. In 2009, it was a row of townhouses on IJburg, in 2008 the distinctive Schutterstoren in Osdorp, and the first time was De Monnik, new construction in the middle of the Red Light District.
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