In Amsterdam IJburg, on the border where urban and rural areas and water meet, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Barcode Architects' 46.500m² residential development Sluishuis is arising.
Sluishuis is a renewing adaptation of the traditional inner-city courtyard typology. Towards the water, a gateway is opened by lifting one corner, allowing water and small boats to enter the inner courtyard, and offering a spectacular view to the IJ lake. Towards the neighbourhood across the road, the block steps down, creating generous terraces, bringing in daylight, and introducing a human scale. The shape of the building optimizes the daylight entrance within the apartments. Residents and visitors alike can experience the lake from the inner water courtyard, a pontoon jetty promenade, and a public climbing route to the top of Sluishuis.
A sequence of islands with houseboats and floating gardens forms a promenade around the building. On the ground floor there is a varied program with a central lobby, a sailing school, watersports center and a restaurant with a large terrace.
The housing program provides 360 apartments for different target groups, income levels and age categories. All homes can be accessed through the central courtyard. The ground floor boasts special float-in and watersports apartments with a double relationship with the water. On the other floors there is a rich diversity of housing typologies. Premium apartments with luxurious outdoor spaces and a view over the water are located at the top-end of the cantilever, next to the large stepped terraces. On the upper floors, there are large duplex penthouses with a front garden opening towards the sunny courtyard.
Sluishuis has an energy performance coefficient (EPC) of 0.00. The heating demand of the building has been minimized by combining excellent insulation techniques, triple glazing, heat recovery of the ventilation systems and waste water collection. The energy consumption is further reduced by the application of energy-efficient city heating and heat pumps for hot water and cooling. The remaining energy consumption for heating, heat pumps, ventilation and LED lighting is fully compensated for by approximately 2,200 m2 of solar panels.
Sluishuis offers a new way of living on the water — with new housing typologies, well outdoor space and a breathtaking perspective over the IJ river. With its iconic architecture and programmatic implementation Sluishuis is a great socio-cultural added value for IJburg.
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