360 Degrees

For this landmark building located between the IJ and Tolhuiskanaal, we designed two slim towers that merge underneath into a terraced podium, instead of one huge, solid volume.

Buiksloterham in Amsterdam North is currently being developed into a sustainable neighbourhood for living and working. At the southernmost part, Kop Grasweg will soon host about 350 private and rental apartments and 3.800 m2 of commercial space. The plan of Kop Grasweg connects with Cityplot Buiksloterham on the other side of the Tolhuiskanaal. The structure, diversity and small-scale architecture that characterise Cityplot Buiksloterham will be extended towards the IJ.

Kop Grasweg comprises of three characteristic parts: a section that will be developed according to the Cityplot concept, the IJ waterfront, and the multi-storey building at Tolhuiskanaal. This largest and highest structure will function as a prominent landmark for the area.

Project details

Client
Amvest
Type
110 apartments, 1.000 m2 facilities; 12.000 m2 bvo
Location
Grasweg, Buiksloterham, Amsterdam, NL
Design-Completion
2016-2022
Partners
Heddes Bouw en Ontwikkeling, Ballast Nedam, Brink Management, Van Rossum, INNAX, Peutz, IGG
Design team
Albert Herder, Vincent van der Klei, Metin van Zijl, Joost Maatkamp, Ania Bozek, Laura Berasaluce, Erik Hoogendam, Rutger van der Meer
Image credits
Studioninedots

Two slim towers that merge underneath into a terraced podium.

We set ourselves the challenge to design an apartment building that has no distinct front or back facade, that appears different from every perspective and that connects to the surrounding neighbourhoods. So, instead of creating one huge, solid volume, we designed two slim towers. All apartments in the podium feature spacious roof gardens with a sunny orientation or facing the Tolhuiskanaal.

Juxtaposed in Ulrich Rückriem-style.

Dividing the volume into two vertical accents connects better to the Kop Grasweg masterplan. In ‘Ulrich Rückriem’-style the two adjacent towers are placed in such a way that they don’t block each other’s views. This way we ensure maximum views from all apartments. The balconies of the podium apartments create a friendly transition from the low scale of the surrounding buildings to the two towers.

The German Ulrich Rückriem is known for his monumental yet minimalistic stone sculptures, such as this carefully constructed work ‘Limestone’ (1988, Dublin).

Demolition waste – is this one also available in white, please?

360 Degrees is an integral part of Cityplot Buiksloterham and therefore shares its ambitions based on flexibility, circularity and social sustainability. The goal of circularity is expressed here by a façade made of 152 tonnes of waste.

Together with StoneCycling, we developed a new series of so-called WasteBasedBricks that upcycle selected construction waste into high-quality bricks. Chemical processes can be used to produce the demolition waste in new colours. We set ourselves the additional challenge of creating a facade effect that gradually changed from black to white.

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