Holon House

The pressure on the housing market in Amsterdam is becoming ever greater. More people want to live at locations that have been popular for some time; close to work, close to museums, theatres and places of entertainment. As a result of this, housing is become increasingly expensive and even unaffordable for some. By living in a more compact way, sharing functions and facilities, and making optimal use of the amount of available space in the city, living in the city can remain an option for everyone.

Much of the surface area of the existing city has already been developed and optimal use will have to be made, therefore, of the space still available. Densification by means of high-rise buildings is an obvious option. The living space that is made available through compact and high-density building can ease the pressure on the housing market in an effective way. Residential tower blocks like needle pricks in the city, a social and spatial form of urban acupuncture.

If the surface area of the home is compact, the layout, functionality and finish gain an increased importance. A clear distinction is made between the ‘serving’ and the ‘served’ spaces. The servant spaces contain all functional elements that are the same for each individual and are incorporated in the partitions of the home, such as the shower, toilet, sink, bed, storage space and kitchen. The functional partition wall ensures that the served space that arises is a free open space. This open space receives its character through the interior elements and the specific choices of the resident themselves.

By separating the construction of the building from the partition walls of the home, spaces can be linked with each other simply and the layout of the building remains flexible. In this way, it is also possible to have apartments measuring 58m2, 70m2 and 115m2, in addition to extremely compact one-room apartments measuring only 29m2 and 41m2. As a result of this, a range of homes are created that are not only suitable for first-time buyers, single people and the elderly, but also for families and people working from home. Therefore, the building is deliberately not aimed at one target group, but at a multitude of lifestyles,  reflecting the diversity of the city and its inhabitants.

The collective residential building is 70m high, has 22 floors and aims to make optimal use of the residents’ potential. As a result of the fact that residents share functions, social interaction is stimulated and it creates opportunities for incorporating functions that would otherwise not be feasible for an individual, such as guest accommodation, shared car use, a music room, library, small cinema and sauna. Next to the entrance on the ground floor, there are also public workplaces, parking spaces, a coffee bar and a terrace. This is the place where the building gives something back to the city. The roof is accessible to all residents and designed as a communal garden for barbecuing, dancing or celebrating your birthday with a view of the city.

Read also the article ‘The Capsule and the Collective’ (in Dutch) on Archined