The planning area for this project comprises three locations, embodied in three identical urban ensembles: two L-shaped blocks of single-family homes on the edge of the city and the countryside. At this location, apartment buildings and single-family homes have made way for 24 ground-oriented single-family homes.
Six detached buildings, each containing two times two homes, are situated in the greenery. The properties have partly two, partly three residential floors and are oriented in a north-south direction. Access to the homes is via a walking path. This path runs right through the buildings and ends in the green space.
On the edge of Geuzenveld-Slotermeer, overlooking the green polder, something special has been created. In place of 36 demolished terraced houses, six detached pavilions have risen, each featuring two pairs of large homes on either side of a covered interior street. Furthermore, the homes have been intentionally finished in completely different ways. A prefabricated concrete skeleton is covered with EPDM, a wetsuit-like plastic made of reinforced fiberglass. Against this is a "light veil of wooden slats for an airy effect," as architect Chris Boot (48) puts it. "Instead of the old houses, new terraced houses had been planned," Boot and his colleague Kaspar Aussems (51) of the architectural firm Burobeb explain. "But we didn't think that was appropriate. Then you just end up with a bunch of backyards with fences again."
Therefore, we proposed sawing off parts of the existing rows. As a result, all residents also have a much better view of the greenery. And we were selected based on that plan.
The unusual construction method had the advantage that the homes were built in a very short time, keeping the inconvenience for the neighborhood to a minimum. Of the 24 new homes, eight (a group of two pavilions) were intended for social housing. The other pavilions contained sixteen owner-occupied homes, which additionally feature a second floor plus a rooftop terrace.
For such a home, with 152 square meters of floor space, sixty square meters of garden on two sides, and eighteen square meters of roof terrace, Marion Lubbers (31) and her husband had to shell out 305,000 euros. “We lived in Osdorp, in De Aker,” Lubbers says, “but there the house didn't grow along with us and our belongings. We went to the Zuiderkerk to look for something bigger. There, this project caught our eye, also because it was the first one available. But yeah, there were only sixteen homes, so our chances were very slim. We were lucky to be drawn in the lottery.”
Now she notes that all the alternatives they had seen pale in comparison. “Geuzenveld is much quieter and greener than Osdorp. The children can play outside safely here, and when they are a bit older, they can head straight into the polder.”
They are truly large houses, suitable for families. "A spacious layout in a green environment," the residents judged in their report forms. "Beautiful architecture, no standard look." The eye-catching design was also a source of discussion for the jury that compiled the top ten. "I find it very attractive," judges Jacobine Ritsema. But another calls it "hideous" or "prudish." The residents do have a few comments regarding the handling of delivery defects. "Construction wasn't actually finished yet back then," Lubbers offers as an explanation.
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