Op Oostenburg Amsterdam

The island of Oostenburg has a rich maritime history. Architecture in the neighborhood is based on the industrial past. Each residential block has its own identity, as if it were built in its own period. Around the buildings the alleys and lively building plinths serve as a connection between public space and private domain. Here, meetings take place between the different users. The public space not only has a high quality of stay but also offers space for the collection and buffering of rainwater, heat stress and urban ecology.

On the inside of the blocks is a lush and leafy courtyard garden. These are the green lungs of the residents area, which mainly belongs to the residents and casual passer-by. The water is made directly accessible from the inner yard. The inner yard has a special quality within the total plan, in which all your senses can be stimulated. Broken stelcon plates are placed in basalt split so that vegetation can grow straight through the paving and at the same time makes infiltration of rain water possible. The inner yard can be seen as a green wilderness with a hidden character as on an abandoned site, an unexpected hidden oasis in the city. The sidewalk in the garden is an extension of the housing and can be put into use by the local residents.

The various roofs of blocks have different destinations. One of the roofs serves as an ecological playground for children. On the second, a side garden with its own beekeeper is located. On a third roof there is space for the Oostenburger greenhouses, which provide food for restaurant Roest and other local residents. The roof landscape plays a major role in water collection and electricity generation. The collected water is filtered and made suitable to be reused again.

Amsterdam, City extension, commissioned by ‘VORM ontwikkeling’, first prize tender Oostenburg 2018, in progress, i.c.w. OZ architects, Workshop architects, Beta, images Studio Prins, park design, circular city, healthy city, climate-adaptive city, public space, transformation, densification, Flux landscape architecture Utrecht 2018-present