The residential building, consisting of 26 townhouses, is located between the Theo van Gogh Park and the 'green tunnel'. The location was the inspiration for wanting to capture both the qualities of the city and nature within the building and to make them palpably present for the residents.
The building has two faces. The facade facing the park is made of warm, dark red brick. Due in part to the consistent use of materials, high roof edges, and rows of windows, the wall gains mass and appears as a single unit. The garage entrance and exit and the clock accentuate this further. High bay windows and vertical cuts in the brickwork keep the individual homes recognizable. The facade features large windows with steel crosses that offer views of the street and the park. The facade facing the "green tunnel" is characterized by the recessed building mass with terraces on multiple floors. These provide space for private life between the living room and the waterfront. This sun-drenched facade is executed in light facade panels, combined with a semi-open plinth of Siberian larch. The six-meter-high wooden portals emphasize the individual home and frame nature from within the residence.
No fewer than 21 residential projects were completed on IJburg last year, numbering nearly 1,600 homes. Yet only two complexes made the top ten, including this row of 26 single-family homes. But that doesn't mean there is much to complain about regarding the nineteen residential blocks that missed out on the prizes. Most received a grade between 8 and 9 from their residents—even that is not enough to become a prize winner. The row of homes we are visiting today deserves a 9.3 according to the residents. "Spacious, bright, open, and yet a varied layout," they noted. "High-quality finish, use of luxury materials."
That verdict is shared by the five jury members, residents of non-nominated residential buildings. “The architect clearly fought for detailing,” Steven Delva praises. “And that surroundings,” Natasja Keller says, impressed, “a large terrace, and soon a jetty by the water.” The term ‘terraced house’ does not really apply here. On Emmy Andriessestraat it still looks that way, with its dark red brick facade. But the surprise is at the back, on the brightly lit sun side. The parking spaces have been ingeniously concealed via an interior street beneath the gigantic rear terrace. The water of the ‘green tunnel’ in IJburg ensures a generous unobstructed view there, just like in front of the Theo van Gogh Park.
The four floors offer an abundance of space: 190 square meters. The first residents had to pay six hundred thousand euros for it, but according to Peter Westerneng (30), it is well worth that amount. For four years, he and his partner searched for a house to their liking: by the water, with two parking spaces, in Amsterdam. "Back then, we also looked at IJburg, but we couldn't get away fast enough: one big construction site. But when we were browsing Funda later on, we ended up here anyway. Now we saw a developed neighborhood. So a barren expanse of sand can turn into something nice after all."
For architect Carli Driessen (42) of Queeste Architecten, the main concern was to have these homes form the connection between the park on one side and the water on the other. "The whole must form a unity, but you must also be able to find your own home. The core question is: how rich can you make it?" Driessen explains. That is also why he adorned the row of facades with a large clock. "These houses," he believes, "connect with the everyday and are still beautiful." The detailing in the design did pose some challenges for Sander Seppen (37), head of production at Slokker Bouwgroep, but according to him, the result gives "a true city feel." "This is an appealing facade, there is richness in that, and it stands out. And when the residents give such a high rating, as a builder you are happy too. That is what you do it for."
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