Westerdok Apartments / MVRDV

Mar 2009

By Nico Saieh — Filed under: Housing , Selected , Balcony, MVRDV, Netherlands, Residential

Dutch architects MVRDV shared with us their latest housing project.

Openness as design concept: The minimal amount of materials used, glass, steel and concrete, results in maximum openness for the façade.

The building which has just been completed with a total surface of 6000 m2 contains 46 apartments and a day-care centre. Each apartment has a balcony of varying depths which stretch as bands along the entire facade, offering varied outside spaces and views over the western docklands of Amsterdam. The floor-to-ceiling glass façade can be fully opened and contrasts with the other buildings within the so called VOC Cour port redevelopment that are mainly made of brick.

The urban plan is a closed city block with buildings of differing heights surrounding a central court. After two earlier urban plans failed, the client O.M.A. (Ontwikkelings Maatschappij Apeldoorn) has in fact determined the current urban plan. The MVRDV building is located inside the court with one façade facing the waterfront of the Westerdok. The project started in 2004 and is currently one of the nominees for the Amsterdam Architecture Award.

22 comments »

odris says:

the internal distribution is very bad

# March 3, 2009 at 23:07

JoftheBx says:

Pretty weak. if this went up in my neighborhood – i’d be depressed.

Btw – Do the dutch not need closets…

# March 3, 2009 at 23:50

strokitecture says:

agreed. plans are not so hot.

# March 4, 2009 at 00:49

monolink says:

I agree. Terrible floorplans.

# March 4, 2009 at 06:18

teefortwo says:

the floorplans are great.
This is good combination between compact, necessary units and the great wide open conected with the fullsize windows.

# March 4, 2009 at 08:45

Tuf-Pak says:

I agree… I think the plans (while not earth shattering) are absolutely reasonable.

I have no idea what the complaint is? Those who dislike the floorplan layouts, tell us why you feel they’re so poor? I’m interested .

# August 11, 2009 at 10:43

Troy Lemieur says:

Those linear kitchens and 6 different closets in a row give me heartburn. The concept of randomly extruded decks could have translated into the building and influenced the floor plans on a more directly relating level, too.

# March 4, 2009 at 16:41

rob says:

I think it’s pretty awesome. Spatious appartments with a very separate logic to sleeping/private and public/livingroom.

# March 5, 2009 at 16:07

Nico says:

The floorplan are so bad, it’s terrible!
The worse are the very long or dark corridors and no closet.

# March 5, 2009 at 21:08

ArchThai says:

floor plan are not that terrible

# March 6, 2009 at 02:00

jiri k. says:

The floor plans are VERY bad. Facade is just a formal play.

# March 6, 2009 at 14:40

Tania says:

I have about 5 professors that would rollover and die if I turned this in as a proyect.

# March 31, 2009 at 14:06

Spuciellamento says:

Floorplans are without furnitures, because a choice of representation, if you are not able to understand this simple thing, just give up architecture.
They tried to provide high flexibility and for what I see, I think they achieved the result. Nowadays, flexibility is one of the main aims in dutch housing…
However, I agree that the floorplans are really simple and aren’t so amazing in terms of design.

# May 12, 2009 at 10:17

Bo Lucky says:

I definitely agree with comments regarding the floor plan and elevation design. It’s just poor. My concern however is about safety of people living therein. In case of fire, this building appears to be a death trap… was the design reviewed by a fire commissioner?

# May 12, 2009 at 10:36

Valton says: