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Of the Warren

Of the Warren

  • 36 rental apartments (social and middle-income housing).
  • 800 m² of common areas and an underground parking garage
  • IJburg – East District
Client
Housing cooperative De Warren
Architect
Natrufied Architecture
Contractor
Future Group
City of
East
Address
Camille Balystraat 18-64, Nydia Ecurystraat 31
Photography
Jeroen Musch

Housing cooperative builds sustainable building on IJburg

De Warren is a collective residential building on Centrumeiland in Amsterdam with 36 apartments for social and mid-range rental. It is Amsterdam’s first self-build housing cooperative. The core concept of De Warren is collective living. Through a series of workshops with the future residents, it was determined that 30% of the building consists of communal spaces.

The Warren has 800 m2 of communal functions, such as a large auditorium, a multipurpose room, a children's playroom, a music studio, various home workspaces, a quiet room, a greenhouse, a roof terrace, and several communal living rooms and kitchens. The collective spaces are arranged along the so-called 'Machu Picchu' staircase that connects all floors. By placing the collective spaces centrally, they become part of everyone's daily route and maximize contact between residents.

Sustainability The Warren

The facade cladding is made of recycled bollards (azobé) that are used untreated (and maintenance-free). The harvested planks were first doubled before they had the right thickness to be used as facade cladding. The 'mikado' facade, intended for balconies and nature inclusivity (with plant boxes that use rainwater from the polder roof), is made of recycled mooring posts (basralocus). The result is a building with an EPC of -0.16. De Warren shows that sustainable and affordable living in the city of Amsterdam is within reach.