"21st-Century Garden Village" is a starting point for urban planners when designing the plans for De Bongerd in Noord. This sought a balance between collectivity and individuality. The De Bongerd project involves 66 single-family homes optimally oriented towards greenery, light, and space. The design was inspired by the authentic architectural style of the 1930s, characterized by roofs with a sloping plane on all sides and traditional eaves. Of course, this project was built using the latest techniques, enabling the creation of a sustainable home.
For the first time in the seven years that the Amsterdam New Construction Prize has existed, North is prominently represented. A commendable three projects are competing for the prize.
Compared to De Zeven Provinciën, the luxury residential building on the IJ, the other two candidates are much more 'typical North': streets with low-rise housing, surrounded by greenery and water, the classic garden village, but in a 21st-century style.
De Bongerd is a large new development area along Zijkanaal 1, close to the NDSM wharf. Twelve years ago, the De Bongerd Development Partnership was established for its development, in which the construction company Van der Leij, the development company AM, housing corporation Eigen Haard, and the Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten participate.
The rather experimental first phase of the project, with seemingly randomly scattered residential blocks, proved impractical. A completely new design was created for the subsequent phases, reverting to the garden village layout so characteristic of the North.
"Our primary goal was to build for Amsterdammers who wanted to stay in the city," says Barend Olde Rikkert, director of Ontwikkelingscombinatie De Bongerd. "That's why seventy percent of the homes are for sale and thirty percent are social housing."
In one of those rental properties live Abida Bagga (33) and Abdelkrim Bennyiat (40) with their eleven-year-old daughter Nihad, seven-year-old son Ouassim, and ten-month-old daughter Hoyam. "We are super happy with this home," says Bagga, even though she initially didn't want to move to Noord. She was happy in Westerpark, but their house there became too small. Now they have a family home of over one hundred square meters, with three bedrooms and an attic, for seven hundred euros a month, including service costs.
A home for sale in the same neighborhood cost 365,000 euros for 150 square meters. Bagga: 'The combination of social rental housing and homes for sale makes the neighborhood more enjoyable. And everyone has a nice home, the renters and the buyers.' Olde Rikkert: 'That's exactly our intention. You shouldn't be able to tell from the house whether it's for sale or social housing.'
Will Weerkamp of HM Architecten had a tricky assignment: due to the crisis, he had to design affordable standard homes. 'Still, I was given a lot of freedom for my own jokes and gags. The row houses are all different, and I was able to make the end houses very unique, with low-sloping roofing.'
The jury found this neighborhood to be a prime example of what should be built more in Amsterdam. The houses are much more spacious than the jurors had expected, cleverly laid out, even luxurious with a garden and a large attic. And the NDSM ferry is close to the city center. These are also precisely the advantages that the residents, both owners and renters, mention: beautiful, spacious homes with plenty of light, and very affordable by Amsterdam standards. Yet, there is also a drawback: the lack of shops in the neighborhood.
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