The De Loodsen project includes living and working space realized in different building volumes. It was designed by three architectural firms, one of which, Köther and Salman architekten, was also responsible for the urban plan. The complex consists of a compact series of 35-meter-high towers with relatively narrow passages in between.
The houses designed by Köther and Salman architects are designed with a certain excess capacity. A striking type in Wagon 1 constitutes the X-home, a corridor type over two layers with views over both the water and the city Towers 3 and 5, and Wagon 2 were elaborated by HVDN. Each of these blocks is designed in one color and with its own window rhythm. The facades are neutral: from the all-round window openings, the functions behind are not readable. This flexible relationship already proved its worth during the development period: at a late stage the program was drastically changed without any consequences for the facade.
Towers 1 and 6 by Wingender Hovenier Architects, form the corners of the compartment De Loodsen on the city side. They differ from each other in their position, volume and rhythm of facade openings. In contrast, they are linked in their tectonic expression by the horizontal concrete bands and the plastic elaboration of the masonry. All floors have a freely divisible shell. Programmatic differences between office, exterior and residential space are not readable in the facade of these blocks either.
De Loodsen is by far the largest residential complex in the top ten of the Amsterdam Nieuwbouwprijs. Six sturdy towers between Piet Heinkade and Veemkade in Zeeburg house 317 housing units in all categories. Two towers contain a total of 85 homes for social rent, one tower is reserved for rental apartments in the free sector, and the rest are for owner-occupied apartments.
On the first floors are commercial spaces. The overall look was designed by architects Pim Köther and Ton Salman, while the firms HVDN and Wingender Hovenier also took care of some of the towers.
"An English magazine has already proclaimed this as 'the new Dutch brick architecture,'" reports Emile Spek (46), Ymere's project development director, proudly. With director Willem Meuwese (58) of Hopman Interheem, he led the creation of De Loodsen.
"Such large investments are becoming increasingly difficult," warns Meuwese. "A complex with 317 homes, that must not fail. Even though the market was bad in the beginning, we started building anyway. Only when the parking garages were ready and you could see what was coming, did we start selling."
This succeeded immediately. According to Spek, this is also because the developers did not compromise on the quality of the living environment.
"We enforced balconies on the buildings," Meuwese gives as an example. "The architects didn't want that. But now these are the only new residential blocks along Piet Heinkade with balconies."
"And getting the ground level right in such a place was a challenge," Spek adds. "In that space where you walk between tall buildings, you still have to feel comfortable. We achieved that through large boulders and a light art piece in the floor of the courtyard."
Social rent starts at 477 euros, and free rent ranges from 750 to fourteen hundred euros per month. The purchase prices of the apartments, depending on size, ranged between 168,000 and 670,000 euros.
Ertan Kucuk (35) and Suus Segers (34) bought a hundred-square-meter apartment for 300,000 euros, plus 35,000 euros for the spot in the parking garage. "That was actually quite coincidental," Kucuk explains. "We were not planning to move at all. There was nothing wrong with our house on the Kattenburgervaart."
"I regularly cycled past this construction site and suddenly I saw the view you have of the water. Then I thought: this is where I want to live! The only downside is that it has become such a large-scale project. But it's good that we did this."
Most residents shared that sentiment, given the average rating of over 8, although it should be noted that social tenants gave no higher than a 6.5, and other residents were closer to 9. Overall, they mentioned the light, the view, the space and the big-city look as plus points of their homes. "The atmosphere, the history, really a new piece of Amsterdam. The jury that compiled the top ten also spoke highly of De Loodsen. "This is a good place to live," thought Angela Desmet, "very innovative." "And at the same time historicizing," mused René Berbee. Inside, the judges found the homes very bright and well laid out.
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