Client:
Housing Corp. Eigen Haard, Amsterdam
Rabo Vastgoed BV, Haarlem
Contractor:
Commencement | Completion
1999 – 2008
Floor Space
47 houses, 20 commercial spaces and parking garage 13.680 m2
Publications
ArchDaily
Mimoa
Cementenbeton Research
Gemeente Amsterdam
Metaglas
KBookmark Japan
The IJside building is situated along the South quay of the river IJ and forms an urban space together with the Barentszplein, the Silodam and the Stenen Hoofd. IJside plays a strategic role in this urban context. The building contains workspaces, seven different types of apartments, a private and a public parking garage. To stand time the dimensions of the spaces are larger than the building code requests. In doing so functional changes in the future are possible. The majority of workspaces have their entrances facing the street, so they’re easily accessible for visitors. The entrance for the residents is situated below streetlevel at the quay square under the overhang separated from the main road.
Basically, the building consists out of two loops. One rises from the ground, while the other floats above it. Because of the floating part of the building, the view to the water is maintained for residents of the neighbourhood. The two loops meet in the middle of the building, where the staircase and the elevators are placed.
In the process of building IJside, limited scaffolding was used, mostly a crane. This was necessary because it would’ve been difficult to put scaffolds on the water or the heavily used road. The crane was placed where the stairwell would come. From there, it could place the integral prefabricated facade panels to finish of the building.
Before the complex could be built, a lot of extraordinary research was required because of the specific site.
The first element that required a lot of research was the parking garage. Since IJside was built on a primary dyke, the underwater level parking garage had to be enforced by a heavy dam. If the dyke ever breaks, one third of Amsterdam will be floated.
For the façade, a lot of research was done too. On the streetside of the building intensive traffic is passing, which causes pollution. The façade should be able to withstand this. It has a lively rusty color and a faceting pattern. Each façade panel consists out of a polished surface and a matted surface. The polished upper surface slopes down till it touches the matted surface. This play with the surfaces make that dirt is either rejected or spread out and absorbed by the façade. The façade will get a natural platina of time, because dirt is not concentrated in a certain spot.