The three buildings that replace the former Jan Swammerdam Institute appear to be closed, autonomous building blocks, but they blend into the structure of the surrounding area. Each block is divided into two parts that stand perpendicular to the First Constantijn Huygensstraat. These correspond to the nineteenth-century buildings on the other side of the street.
The five-meter-high basement refers to a closed building block and therefore appears solid, but is made of clear glass and coarsely shaped fused glass. On the first floor, this plinth serves as a balustrade for the French balconies of the surrounding houses. The two building sections on the basement are functionally and architecturally connected by walkways and a glass soundproof screen.
On the ground floor there are four commercial spaces and three residential units. Above these are seven floors of residential and social housing, which are mixed throughout the building. A two-level parking garage has been built under the block.
The light main staircase forms one space from the lowest basement level to the sixth floor. The apartments on the first floor are accessed via their spacious terraces. The remaining units are accessible via the footbridges or through the galleries on the north facade.
At the site of the former Swammerdam Institute – one found the demolition a pity, the other was glad that that hideous nuisance was brought down – Furore is rising; a complex with three new buildings that together represent the core of the big city. One block houses a combination of 22 social rental apartments and 24 owner-occupied apartments; the middle block houses a Mentrum psychiatric care facility, and the third, which is yet to be built, is intended as a solid, a building in which tenants are completely free to fill their space however they wish. And all this on the busy Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat, in the heart of Oud-West.
Architect Gerard Kruunenberg (51) has been involved since the very first plans were drawn up in 1998. “I grew up on the Overtoom, so I know the neighborhood very well. And it’s always nice to contribute to your own city as an architect. He is especially proud of his ‘watermark’: the glass plinth of the building, five meters high and cast with figures in it. And how he has given a whole new form to the term ‘gallery flat’ with footbridges behind a large glass wall. The block of housing is certainly an asset; the residents think so, giving it a 9.1. “Everything is within walking distance: the WG area, the Vondelpark, the Leidseplein,” says one. “Great for being centrally located for going out; lots of diverse shops nearby, the PC Hooft on one side and the Ten Katemarkt on the other, and the neighborhood is really cozy,” notes another. Kruunenberg sees it this way too: “This building is a connection between the Van Baerlestraat and the Kinkerstraat. It will give this part of the city a new impetus.” The residents praise their homes as modern and fresh, light and spacious. They also see the integration with Mentrum as a plus: ‘A good integration of psychiatry in society.’ Furore is also a good example of how social rental and free buying can be combined in one building. “This building lends itself perfectly to that mix,” said development manager Albert Ravestei (53) of the housing corporation Stadgenoot. “We see Oud-West here in miniature: a piece of Helmersbuurt and a piece of Kinkerbuurt.” Furore has opted for smaller apartments in a social atmosphere, which can easily be combined with one another. The purchase prices range from 100 to 180 square meters; the purchase prices are between 325,000 and 570,000 euros, and 38,000 euros for a place in the parking basement. Ton van Roode (53) pays 435 euros per month including service costs for a small sixty-square-meter rental apartment. “A fantastic place,” he applauds. “I lived on the corner of Marnixstraat and Rozengracht, but I wanted to move out because of the noise. Here you don’t have that at all; you can hardly even hear the tram.” He calls the combination of buying and renting amazing: “That mix of young people and people who are already older.” For the jury, too, that mix was an important reason to nominate Furore. “The building has a good atmosphere,” said Gabriëlle Voogt. And Henne Roelvink: “More of these types of buildings should be built in the city center.”
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