On a former industrial site on the eastern side of the city center, ten homes have been accommodated in an introvert building block. Since the homes are located close to the surrounding buildings, three-story linked patio houses were chosen. Three basic types have been designed: the corner house, the wide middle house, and the elongated middle house. The patio houses are light and spacious due to the large voids and generous layouts. The sleek concrete facades feature metal meshwork for climbing plants to grow against, and the roof is covered with moss. The green facades and the roof form a shell around the building. Only inside the home are the spaces with unexpected play of light experienced through the patios and the voids.
"This is a transparent home with lots of light and space." "The robust appearance: concrete with tension cables and ivy growing against it, I think that's gorgeous." "The car-free environment with the well-designed green zone means the children can play outside just like that." It is clear: the residents are very pleased with their remarkable square residential building in the Funenpark. They gave it a grade of 9.2. Last year, the Funenpark was already in the top ten of the Amsterdam New Construction Prize, back then with three buildings by architect Herman de Kovel. His colleague Jeroen Geurst faced a similar task with Melior.
“We were commissioned by Frits van Dongen, who drew up the urban design plan, to create ‘pastries’ on the triangular site behind the long block along the railway embankment and quay,” Geurst says. “Every building had to look special. We tried to make a very special ‘pastry’ by standing out as little as possible. The concrete exterior becomes one with the park through the growth of ivy, clematis, and wisteria.” The Funenpark is almost finished; the apartments in the final building (and also the most expensive one) have gone on sale.
“It is a bad time now,” acknowledges William Rood, senior project manager at Heijmans Woningbouw. “But there will still be people who want to live in such a unique part of the city.” That uniqueness lies partly in the fact that—very exceptionally—the property is on freehold land instead of leasehold. Originally, this was an NS railway shunting yard, dating back to the days of the harbors and the Stork factory. One of the ten homes in Melior is inhabited by Rolof Schut (48) and Jenneke Visser (42) with their sons Stijn (8) and Joris (6). They paid 650,000 euros for 170 square meters, spread across three floors, plus a roof terrace. The garage space cost an additional 45,000 euros. “We lived in Markenhoven in 110 square meters and wanted something larger, and especially outdoor space,” Visser says. “We were on Heijmans’ mailing list, but what was offered to us didn’t have any more space.”
"We almost bought something in IJburg, but we much preferred staying here in the center, so we can do everything by bike. Until this came along, a stroke of luck. It was literally a lottery, by the way, but luckily we were very quick about it." In this house, almost all the rooms are connected to one another. "That is exactly what we were looking for," says Schut, "that unity and openness of this home. As a family, you are truly together in this house. And then, as an extra bonus, the play of light." The jury that selected the ten nominees reached a decision very quickly regarding Melior. "There is nothing wrong to be noted here," said Steven Delva. "The architect has executed the concept he devised consistently." "A gorgeous facade," Natasja Keller summarized.
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