Oostenburgereiland
A neighbourhood where everybody feels at home
Space&Matter partnered with 51N4E and Laisne Roussel to envision and design the transformation of Oostenburgereiland, an industrial site in the centre of Amsterdam. First purchased by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1661, Oostenburgereiland has a rich industrial past. This upcoming neighbourhood is defined by its rough and tough character, an identity we focused on preserving in the design of a residential complex of 24,000 square metres. As lead architect, we aligned visions and designed four out of the eight highrises, so-called Zeebonken, a reference and homage to the site’s naval, voyeuristic past. Taken together, these eight structures, their lively plinths and ubiquitous greenery form an intimate neighbourhood where the industrial past never feels very far away.
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Tjeerd Haccou
Marthijn Pool
Iñigo Ruiz
51N4E
Laisné Roussel
BOOM Landscape
An integral approach
We believe that Oostenburgereiland has the potential to be the kind of place where many kinds of people can thrive. Eight highrises contain a multiplicity of apartment types, and while each of them has its own unique characteristics, all of them are built using recycled materials and reference the industrial buildings that once stood where they now stand.
All structures were designed to be socially, financially and environmentally sustainable. An integral design approach forces us to do more than just design energy-neutral, rainproof buildings. It forces us to design buildings and places where people can come together and form tight-knit communities, where they can move around effortlessly and where nature and biodiversity are celebrated.
