The project is located in De Pijp, where characteristic buildings are clustered in ensembles of several properties. The new streetscape of the project consists of three ensembles. Each ensemble has its own facade layout and detailing and is clearly recognizable within the whole. Experiencing the facade in perspective, the play of light and shadow, and the use of materials that fit the environment were important starting points.
On the ground floor, the existing HEMA has been expanded and two residential units have been situated. The design opted for a plinth that does not have a 'shop appearance,' but rather incorporates small-scale facade articulation that better suits a residential street in De Pijp. Two of the three ensembles feature a facade layout typical for the neighborhood, with three windows per building. The middle ensemble, however, has two wider windows per building, a window arrangement also found elsewhere in the neighborhood.
By adopting several important urban planning and architectural characteristics of the existing buildings, the project will be anchored in its surroundings.
Architectural firm Geusebroek Stefanova is celebrating the same anniversary as the Amsterdam New Construction Award. The architects from this firm are featured in the top ten for the fifth time; the first time they even won the award, with the De Monnik residential building right in the middle of the Red Light District. In the same year, they achieved ninth place with a block of new homes nestled between old facades in De Pijp. In 2008, they secured second place with another set of blocks "knitted in" to the existing facade of De Pijp, and last year, tenth place with a similar project in Oud-West.
It says something about the quality that Svetla Stefanova and her partner Peter Geusebroek deliver. The seventeen homes in question this time are again a prime example of how these architects know how to design so subtly that it's only upon closer inspection that one notices new construction here; this time on Eerste Jan van der Heijdenstraat. "We've created different facades, as is common throughout De Pijp, some with smaller window openings, others with larger ones, and also with different brickwork each time," says Svetla Stefanova (41). Behind these facades are various types of homes: twelve for-sale units – maisonettes and apartments, ranging from 360,000 to 540,000 euros – and five senior housing units with social rentals.
In one of these apartments lives Irene Sirach (66), who pays 575 euros in rent for 67 square meters, including service costs. She previously lived in Betondorp for 36 years. "It was smaller there and I wanted to leave. I was entitled to an adapted home and was looking for a place where I could store my scooter. When I came to look here, it immediately appealed to me. And I haven't regretted it for a second." The other residents agree with her; they gave their homes an 8.7 rating. They find their homes bright and spacious and nicely laid out. "The new building fits in with the older ones in the area."
The jury that selected the ten nominees is unanimously very enthusiastic. "I could easily live here," judges Niel Glas. "It's an asset when the city is treated with such respect." And jury member Barbara Dijk: "If the future of social housing in the city is as it has been executed in De Pijp, it deserves an award." You can't tell from the building how complicated this job was. "This was one of the last locations where we would build, and we assumed the North/South Line would already be completed by then," says Rob Hoogeveen (39), area development manager at housing corporation De Alliantie. Extra caution had to be taken with piling at the construction site near Ferdinand Bolstraat, and the transport of materials was very complicated. Hoogeveen: "Add to that how critically residents of De Pijp follow this type of urban renewal..."
A particular complication was that the Hema on the corner of Ferdinand Bolstraat was to be expanded on the ground floor of the new building. During construction, as had been stipulated, the Hema had to remain open and be able to be supplied. "Behind the construction wall, there was essentially a shelving unit with cups," Hoogeveen describes the delicate situation. But Stefanova did not want her facade to be disrupted by large display windows. The Hema had to make do with having the same windows as the residences further down the street. In exchange for this concession, workspace for the Hema had to be reserved on the first floor, next to the residences: offices, changing rooms, and a canteen.
But why is this block called Stadslantaarns? Well, Jan van der Heijden was not only the inventor of the fire hose, but also of public street lighting.
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