On Westerdokseiland, JSA designed four parts of the central block. The part on the IJ side, seven and eleven stories high respectively, contains 97 apartments and 1,500 m2 of commercial space. On the Westerdok side, 36 apartments have been built in a tower and two residences in a gatehouse. Both buildings are faced with liver-colored hand-molded brick. On the quay side, residents have sweeping views over the IJ. The building is reminiscent of robust harbor buildings: monolithic structures with large glass windows and a masonry exterior cladding all solid facade sections.
Two sub-projects on Westerdokseiland have been nominated for the New Construction Award this year, and this design by architect Jeroen Schipper is one of them. He designed two parts of the VOC Cour, the middle block of Westerdokseiland.
Martin van der Laan (40) is beaming in front of "his" VOC Cour, because as director of the modest Ontwikkelings Maatschappij Apeldoorn (OMA) he is responsible for this prestigious project, his first in Amsterdam. "My father participated in the competition held in 1999 to develop a vision for Westerdokseiland. There were some 45 participants, but he was one of the three winners. That was the highlight of his career. That is why it is so sad that he passed away in 2006, much too young."
Van der Laan joined forces with contractors Volker Wessels and Nijhuis and the housing association de Alliantie. “The core of our plan,” he explains, “was as we were used to in Apeldoorn: large courtyard, plenty of space, generous balconies. And then various housing types – owner-occupied, affordable homes with a low mortgage, social housing, adapted housing – not housed in separate buildings, but mixed together. The residents are all people.”
That made designing it a complicated job, says Jeroen Schipper (44). "It requires a lot of coordination, partly because multiple architects are involved." In this harbor area, they were all supposed to be sturdy building blocks. Schipper: "That is why we chose this chunky, rugged form, with a lot of masonry, even extending to the undersides of the balconies." The residents rated their complex with an average of 8.1. They gave their own homes a higher score, but the building as a whole pulled the rating down. The finishing was clearly a minus point.
A home of 120 square meters cost 362,000 euros, but the jury was particularly enthusiastic about the social rental housing. “You experience space,” says Willemijn van Kempen, “and have a great view of the courtyard.” Only the price of a parking space (275 euros per month) was called disproportionate by the jury.
For their home, Kim Weller and Elia Heesbeen (both 22) pay 519 euros in rent, including service charges. It is the first home for both of them; they were still living with their parents, but were urgently looking for their own living space (with a child). "We saw this project on Woningnet," Kim says. "We responded immediately and got this home. We didn't have a high number at all, but you also had to have a child to be eligible for this." They are over the moon. "Right in the city, but still with such a large outdoor space," Elia lists. "And then the location, right next to Central Station."
"It is a very high building density," developer Van der Laan summarizes, "yet it offers a lot of space, light, and air." He looks proudly at the glass entrance to the large courtyard, on which his father's name is engraved as a tribute.
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