Urban density Community Outdoor spaces

Residential ensemble for young professionals and starters in Amsterdam’s Zuidas area

The Gustav is a residential ensemble of two individual buildings with various housing types for young professionals and starters in Amsterdam's Zuidas area, the city's financial district. The project with a strong material driven identity focuses on the well-being of the residents with high-quality outdoor spaces on different levels and communal amenities.

The Gustav is our third project on the Amsterdam Zuidas next to the hotel and office ensemble 2Amsterdam and the residential block Django. 

Location
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
Client
  • Zuidschans (BPD and AM)
Year
  • 2015 - 2020
Status
  • Completed
Program
  • 10.750 m2 Including 144 apartments/studios, 490 m2 retail, underground parking, bike storage, semi-public garden and a rooftop garden
Disciplines
  • Architecture
  • Landscape Architecture
Credits
  • Architect: KCAP
Publications
  • In response to the high demands for affordable housing, The Gustav explores a new way of living. Compact residential units offer indoor and outdoor communal spaces for collective use as an extension of your private living realm. The rooftop terrace, the garden, the communal rooms, and the ground floor café are places that enrich the quality of everyday urban living, foster social interaction and provide informal space for home working.

    The project aims to create high quality open spaces on different levels considered of particular importance in a densely built area like Amsterdam Zuidas. In dense cities, people need more green and outside space to relax and meet
    Han van den Born, former Partner of KCAP
  • On the ground floor, a transparent plinth opens to the surrounding city life. A café invites you to enjoy the semi-public green courtyard covering the parking garage in between the two buildings.

  • The courtyard is designed as a 'garden room', which means it is a second and green living room. Here residents and visitors can have a coffee on the sunny terrace, meet with friends, stay outdoors, watch the children play.

    The northern building contains 96 studios and communal spaces on each level. KCAP has carefully designed the generous rooftop terrace on top of the building to create a peaceful oasis, a hideaway from the city.

  • A white concrete band, related to the horizontal bands in the facades, is transformed into one long architectural furniture element in the garden. Conceived as a versatile addition to the landscape, it defines the courtyard and allows for a variety of uses.

    Technical installations, often dominant in roofscapes, have been integrated into a subtly undulating heather grass landscape. The chosen plants invite insects and birds to share the space with those who want to enjoy the panorama or relax in the open air, transforming the rooftop into a biotope. Sunken areas offer secluded, intimate spaces and protection from the wind and the ideal setting for social interaction and a community feeling among the residents.

  • The landscape design of the project enhances its architectural and social qualities.
    Pieter Theuws, associate Partner KCAP
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