Notable Features |
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Residences
for the elderly |
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Single
building block |
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Suspension
unit strategy |
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Single
loaded corridor building block |
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Suspension
timber-clad boxes |
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Modular
standardization |
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Standardization
and customization |
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Construction
waste minimization |
Basic
Information |
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Location:
Amsterdam, Netherland |
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Structure
: Reinforced Concrete, Cantilever Steel Girder |
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Building Type: 9-Storey Mid-rise Apartment |
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Completion:
1997 |
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Total
No. of Units: 100 |
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Architect: MVRDV |
Overview |
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The apartment
building consists of 100 units designed for persons over 50 years of
age situated in the west of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The
apartments are to offer a higher degree of independence than is
usual in homes for the elderly, and could in the future also
accommodate younger residents. The design of the building was
evolved around the existing local regulations, yet giving itself a
striking presence in the street. |
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Site Layout
Plan
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The
building is located in a city context where green spaces are
threatened with increasing occupation density. It is in such a
context that conservation of ground floor open and green
spaces becomes the challenge for designated density to be
achieved. |
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The
building design evolved around the current zoning envelope and
the north-south orientation of the building which allows 87 of
the 100 apartment units to be built in a single block. |
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South
Elevation showing single block building form |
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The
remaining 13 units are therefore suspended from the north
facade of the block to minimize the coverage of the ground
floor space and to receives sunlight on its east or west
facade. The suspension strategy of some apartment units
renders the building with a design resolution uniquely of its
own. |
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Units
suspended from the north facade: minimizing coverage and
receiving sunlight
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Reference
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Mostaedi, Arian.
Residences for the Elderly. Barcelona: LINKS, 1999.
"Housing for the Elderly." Architecture & Urbanism n.8
(323) (Aug 1997): 45-57.
"Housing for the Elderly in Amsterdam." Detail v.37 n.7
(Oct 1997): 1135-1138.
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All images are cited from (Mostaedi,
1999).
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Modular
Standardization |
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This built
project case study illustrates the architect’s valuable
design thinking within the framework of local restrictions.
Firstly the local regulations do not permit to build
north-facing apartments. The alternative strategy of east-west
orientation is certainly not beneficial in terms of solar heat
gain and the shape of the building site. The resultant site
planning strategy is therefore a north-south oriented,
single-loaded corridor building block.
Each apartment units are south-facing and accessed from the
corridor on the north. |
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Fifth
Floor Plan: Single-loaded corridor with suspension units |
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On the other
hand, the modular approach of apartment units is a standard yet
straight forward solution to the mid-rise or high-rise housing
project. The standardization of apartment units is achieved while
the monolithic volumes appears being dissolved. The character of the
building whether it being seen from the street or from a far
distance has surfaced from the timber-clad suspension units. These
units become the focus of the building while bringing the scale down
to a more domestic one. It is therefore a balance between
standardization and customization in which economic efficiency and
urban quality are integrated. Although one might argue the trade off
of economic efficiency, such a trade off can only be considered
valid numerically if the quality of the environment, including
visual excitement and building coverage, is not at all a determinant
factor. Integrated approach of quality and efficiency is the only
value added resolution towards all the construction aspects. |
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Contribution
to street character
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Standardization
and
Customization |
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All in all, the
simple strategy of modular apartment units is value added with the
suspension timber-clad boxes which not only render the development
compliant with the local regulations but also dissolve the
monolithic scale and add character to the building. The value of the
design solution contribute further onto the streetscape with its
distinctive form and character while establish once again a
relationship between building and street. It is all these values
that justified the balance between standardization and
customization.
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Relationships
to the streetscape
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Conclusion
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Standardization
and customization appear to be the two major elements depicted side
by side through the single building block and the suspension units.
The design however is evolved around the intention to design for
people and contribute to the surroundings. The suspension units not
only define outdoor spaces but also bring the monolithic scale down
to the domestic level. The building also successes in establishing a
relationship between the building and the streetscape. When these
intangible values are considered as appropriate and important, it is
not hard to justify a certain level of customization while design
varieties will not be limited to facade color or shapes of bay
windows.
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Suspension
Unit defines public spaces respecting human scale. |
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