In the new residential area Overhoeks stands the apartment complex De Prinsendam, which houses 74 owner-occupied homes spread over eight floors. The master plan for the area was created by Ton Schaap and Geurst & Schulze architects. De Prinsendam is located on the north side of this area and encloses a courtyard with the project by Álvaro Siza, which is currently under construction.
The building's exterior is clad with the natural stone Altenberger Travertin, in which fossils and other rocks are embedded. This gives the facades a lively appearance up close. From a distance, the overall impression is calm due to the uniform pattern of the window arrangements. The alternating placement of square windows and rectangular French balconies creates rhythm in the facade. The inspiration for this comes from houses from the Dutch Golden Age, where the specific distribution of high windows, combined with white-plastered walls in the interior, provided special lighting within the homes. Special attention was given to the design of the balconies by equipping them with glass balustrades and floors made of glass paving blocks. This gives the building not only a sober but also an accessible character.
The renowned British architect Tony Fretton (66) has a connection with Amsterdam. Last year, two residential projects he designed were completed in the city: De Prinsendam on Overhoeks, the former Shell site in Noord, and a part of the Andreas Ensemble on the site of the former Slotervaart hospital, along the A10 ring road and Cornelis Lelylaan. In addition, he was a professor at the Berlage Institute in Amsterdam and still holds that position at TU Delft. He is working with his students on an urban development project in Noord, and more buildings designed by him are in the works in the city.
The two residential blocks completed last year both score highly for the Amsterdam New Construction Prize. The residents of their part of the Andreas Ensemble gave a grade of 8.2; jury member Selda Boylas, who lives there, completely agrees: "Excellent execution and finishing." But that score is not enough to make it into the top ten. The De Prinsendam building in Overhoeks scored an 8.6, and the jury felt it belonged among the ten nominees. Tony Fretton is very pleased with that. "It has been more successful than I dared to hope. The residents have filled the building very creatively, and I find that exciting. I also wanted to create an environment that would stimulate people, that would offer them freedom."
"In my view, the architect has two tasks. They must create something that people find beautiful, and they must contribute to culture. Because both these aspects are very important, architecture is the most difficult art form." A group of residents passing by enthusiastically points to the appeal of their building, its stateliness, the light, and the space provided by the large balconies with glass balustrades and large windows. The reactions in the survey were similar: "A nice, spacious home with high ceilings and the luxury of floor heating and cooling."
André de Reus (43), representing housing corporation Ymere in the Overhoeks Development Partnership, a collaboration of ING Real Estate and Ymere, explains: "Overhoeks should have a campus-like model with ten residential buildings in an urban setting, but also with tranquil inner gardens and high-quality outdoor spaces. We were inspired by the distinctive hospital complexes of a century ago, such as the Wilhelmina Gasthuis." The choice was explicitly made for high-quality materials and finishes and architects of international renown. "They had seen my work in London," Fretton says, "and they specifically wanted an architect who could design a building with a classic English..." touch would design."
"The choice has consequences for the purchase and rental prices," admits De Reus, "which are quite high for Noord. We took a risk with that, but it paid off. We have attracted a new category of residents to Noord." That's true, because Ron Overeem (47) absolutely did not want to move back to Noord, where his mother still lives in Tuindorp Oostzaan, but his friend Manfred Lax (37) convinced him.
"And now I find it beautiful, especially when you see how interestingly it's developing here." Lax calls it particularly exciting to live in a place that has been closed off for so long, by the water, and also so close to the city center. They came from Eerste Boerhaavestraat in Oost and were looking for new construction without steep stairs and with more storage space. They paid four hundred thousand for 85 square meters, but they also have an additional 32 square meters of balcony. The garage space cost 35,000 euros. "A lot of money," admits Overeem, "but it's definitely worth it."
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