Archinect - News

BIG + BARCODE to design terraced “Sluishuis” complex in Amsterdam

2016-11-30T18:58:00-05:00

BIG has another terraced building in the works. This time around, the practice led a team with Rotterdam-based BARCODE Architects to design the competition-winning scheme for “Sluishuis”, a new 46,000 m2 mixed-use development proposed for IJburg Lake at the edge of Amsterdam.

The residential complex will be a “building inside the port, with a port inside the building,” Bjarke Ingels says. Showing off different silhouettes at various vantage points, the building will also include 380 apartments, about 4,000 m2 of commercial and public areas, 240 underground parking spaces, and a water-quality program that the architects say will provide enough room for up to 30 houseboats.

Toward the water, the building block lifts up to create a large opening that allows water from the IJ Lake to flow into the central courtyard as well as bring sunlight and views into the inner apartments of the building. The block then cascades downward and reveals more of itself toward the city.

A public promenade ...

MVRDV completes The Couch, their eighth project in Amsterdam

2015-10-14T14:51:00-04:00

On the artificial IJburg island east of Amsterdam, the local Tennisclub IJburg now has an ultra modern clubhouse known as The Couch, designed by MVRDV and Studio Bouwkunde. Construction began later than originally announced last April and the building recently opened its doors to the public. Despite what one might assume, the new clubhouse won't serve as the central hub for the club's activities.

The finished design stayed true to the renderings. Aside its brick-red polymer-sprayed exterior and coordinating tennis courts, the 36-meter long clubhouse features a 322 m2 rooftop that dips in the center toward the south side of the building, and then ascends to the north side to a height of 7 meters. The rooftop therefore creates a tribune with terraced seating that can "comfortably" seat up to 200 spectators, as MVRDV describes.

Visitors lounging on the roof can watch a match in the center court or catch views of the IJburg on the other side. Anyone passing by the clubhouse can make a pit...

UrbanCampsite Amsterdam lets visitors camp in style in these artsy "tents"

2015-07-24T15:41:00-04:00

If you happen to find yourself wandering IJburg's Centrumeiland artificial island in Amsterdam this summer, you might encounter a peculiar group of art installations randomly camped out in what feels like the middle of nowhere. Although the installations alone are enough to draw in passers-by, they're actually part of UrbanCampsite Amsterdam, an outdoor public exhibition wherein you can, yes, go camping.

Founders Annette van Driel and Francis Nijenhuis launched UrbanCampsite Amsterdam this past June after a successful first exhibition last year. As a way to brighten up the "sandy piece of wasteland" on the IJburg island and attract visitors to the developing neighborhood, the project offers all the basics of outdoor camping — but appeals to anyone looking to add a "luxurious" artsy twist in their experience.

The campsite features 12 very different installations mostly built out of waste materials. With an Airbnb reservation, a lucky number of visitors can spend the night in these char...

Amsterdam's ambitious IJburg housing project on 10 artificial islands keeps growing

2015-06-15T13:05:00-04:00

Right now, Amsterdam’s Center Island (Centrumeiland in Dutch) doesn’t look like much [...] The island, in use for the first time this summer as a campsite-cum-art installation, is in fact an entirely artificial creation, lying at the heart of what could currently be Europe’s boldest engineering and housing program. [...] The archipelago will eventually be home to up to 45,000 people in 18,000 homes, 30 percent of which will be earmarked for affordable rent.

MVRDV to start construction on The Couch, a club house for Tennisclub IJburg in Amsterdam

2013-11-15T19:52:00-05:00

Upon receiving approval, construction of MVRDV's The Couch is set to begin this month. The Couch is a club house that the Dutch firm designed together with co-architect Studio Bouwkunde for IJburg, a growing tennis club established in 2010 on an artificial island in Amsterdam.

Images courtesy of MVRDV.