The special thing about the Eland Court is that it is an initiative of three families who now live there. They have pooled their resources in the Elzes Foundation, where architect Bastiaan Jongerius is part of the team. Together, these families submitted a building application to the municipality. The municipality sold the plot of land with the building and contaminated land to Elzes Foundation. This was not without some difficulties. They had to negotiate quite a bit with the municipality. In addition, the contract formation was also somewhat difficult and the construction was temporarily halted due to damage to one of the neighboring properties. All in all, it took 5 years to complete the project completely, but it is worth it.
The door of this complex leads to a courtyard that opens onto the interior garden. This garden is surrounded by the three houses that can be reached by wooden stairs. The front doors and the front garden of the houses are located on Lijnbaanstraat. This project consists of 3 single-family homes on Lijnbaanstraat, 2 apartments and 1 town house on Elandstraat. The intention is to develop a common garden in the center.
A spacious single-family home with a garden right in the Jordaan? Yes, it is possible. But only if you put a lot of energy into it and can practice patience for years.
With a group building their own house – officially called collective private client engagement – the municipality is now strongly encouraging it, but eight years ago it was still an uncertain venture. Yet six residents of a converted monastery in the Jordaan dared to do it.
They had already done that renovation together; they therefore had experience. When some families found themselves running short of space due to the arrival of the children, they decided to get back to work together, but now with a new build. It did take a lot of effort to convince the municipality.
That came with a plot of land behind the Elandsgracht between Elandsstraat and Lijnbaansstraat, where business premises were located on contaminated land. Housing corporation Ymere was unable to build there affordably, and so the six received the land as a leasehold. The municipality provided subsidies for demolition and remediation, so they immediately had start-up capital for the pre-financing of the construction project.
The Court of Appeal
It was that one of the six architects, Bastiaan Jongerius (47), and another, Niels Bon (42), a developer at a housing corporation, were the only ones who wanted to create six homes on a private courtyard from the very beginning. ‘We wanted to create a social layer in our living space that would be supported by all six of us,’ says Jongerius.
‘Exactly,’ adds Bon, ‘we share that outside together; it creates a great interactive atmosphere, especially with the children. We really enjoyed being in that converted school, but with two children eighty square meters was a bit cramped. And we wanted to stay in the city center.’
Unity
Now he lives with his wife and children on twice as much space, completely tailored to their own tastes, for a purchase price of 610,000 euros. Jongerius: ‘We calculated that the entire construction would cost a base investment of 3300 euros per square meter. Each family could decide what kind of home they wanted and how large. I made sure everything was structured in a way that there was unity in the project; for example, all with the same front door.’
The jury, five Amsterdammers who also involved themselves in a new build project last year, was largely impressed with the Hof van Eland. They found the homes to be beautifully finished with an eye for detail, although the exterior did not match the facade in the Jordaan. Inside, they found the homes practical and thoughtfully designed, and the spacious and light interior courtyard beautiful.
‘This construction is a development of our time,’ said Jongerius. ‘Five years ago, public input was limited to at most the location of a power outlet. Now, public input leads directly to enjoyment of life.’
Bon: ‘We had to figure out a lot along the way. This place is very complex for new construction. You have to have tremendous perseverance. But here is the proof that it is possible: designing, developing, and living in your own home.’
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