bjarke ingels group to build floating sluishuis in amsterdam

bjarke ingels group and barcode architects have been selected to complete ‘sluishuis’, a mixed-use building set for amsterdam’s emerging IJburg neighborhood. the 46,000 square meter structure seeks to bridge the new urban district to harbor areas near the city’s historic city center. the scheme offers 380 zero-energy residences, approximately 4,000 square meters of commercial and common areas, 240 underground parking spaces, and space for up to 30 houseboats.

all images courtesy of bjarke ingels group

situated between the city center and the dutch countryside, the shape of ‘sluishuis’ has been designed by BIG and barcode architects as a response to its context. towards the IJ lake, the block is lifted up, forming a large opening that brings both water into the courtyard and daylight and views to the inner apartments. toward the neighboring urban district, the block steps down with a cascade of landscaped terraces.

the block is lifted up, forming a large opening that brings water into the courtyard

a promenade encircles the building before stretching out into the water to form an archipelago with houseboats, a sailing school, and floating gardens. an additional public thoroughfare climbs the building to serve as a rooftop street and a viewing platform overlooking the lake. this passage connects residential units to each other and seeks to create a distinct community atmosphere among residents.

the building takes on a variety of different appearances depending upon where it is viewed from

organized around a central courtyard, the building takes on a variety of different appearances depending upon where it is viewed from. from certain angles ‘sluishuis’ looks like the bow of a ship, while from others the building appears as a vertical green community or a more conventional urban block with street access. during the construction phase carbon dioxide emissions will be limited, while renewable resources are to be used throughout.

380 zero-energy residences will be provided as part of the development

‘having spent my formative years as an architect in holland at the end of the 20th century, it feels like a homecoming to now get to contribute to the architecture of the city that I have loved and admired for so long,’ explains bjarke ingels. ‘our sluishuis is conceived as a city block of downtown amsterdam floating in the IJ lake, complete with all aspects of city life.’

‘we have tried to design a building with a surprisingly changing perspective and a unique contemporary character, which reflects the identity of the future residents and all users of sluishuis,’ adds dirk peters, partner at barcode architects.

an ‘archipelago’ includes houseboats, a sailing school, and floating gardens

a public thoroughfare climbs the building to serve as a rooftop street

project info:

location: amsterdam, the netherlands
size: 46 000 sqm
client: vorm, besix
investor rental apartments: MN services
collaboration: barcode architects, bosch slabbers, ABT, van rossum, buro bouwfysica, klimaatgarant, BIG ideas

BIG team:
partners in charge: bjarke ingels, andreas klok pedersen
design lead: dimitrie grigorescu
project manager: birgitte villadsen
team: justyna mydlak, nina vuga, santtu johannes hyvärinen, jonas aarsø larsen, kirsty badenoch, vinish sethi, yannick macken, ulla hornsyld, brage mæhle hult, sebastian liszka, sabine kokina

barcode team: dirk peters, caro van de venne, robbert peters, jakub pakos, cristobal middleton, mojca bek, emiliya stancheva, egidijus kasakaitis

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