Dijkwachter, Sluisbuurt plot 1A2

Plot 1A2 in the newly created Sluisbuurt area of Amsterdam has four distinct spatial qualities: a dyke side, a street side, a canal side, and a courtyard side.
The plan’s starting point is to establish coherence within the site’s diversity. In terms of volume composition, this means that the sizes of the buildings, courtyards and tower are roughly equal. Through this equal fragmentation, the large complex becomes a small neighbourhood in itself, translating spatial quality into social quality. The resulting interplay of volumes contributes to the neighbourhood’s recognisability and refers to a composition of interlocking basalt columns. The different heights of the uniform plateaus allow the eye to travel.
The small size of the volumes makes it possible to respond specifically to the diverse surroundings, giving spatial quality to the homes in the plinth and the apartments in the residential tower through side-lines, while allowing light and air into the cluster.
Due to its unusual shape and recesses in the plinth, the relatively low tower appears slender and sleek when viewed from the IJ or the park. Here stands Dijkwachter, a tower that, like Cerberus (the three-headed dog from Greek mythology), watches over its immediate surroundings. Thanks to its distinctive, lighter architectural design, the tower is clearly recognisable.

The cluster is divided into smaller units, creating two voids in the heart of the block that are realised as green courtyards. These spaces are the green lungs of the urban area of Dijkwachter.
Dijkwachter comprises 110 new homes of various sizes, ranging from 50–60 m² for singles and couples to 80–140 m² for families with children.
Dijkwachter is connected to its immediate surroundings by walking routes alongside the canal and through a courtyard with planted trees.