Fensterrein
Apartment
Blocks

The volume of the building consists of three separate blocks that are connected by an atrium that is placed in the middle. To make these three blocks match the city’s grain, some blocks (or a part of it) are pushed a bit more backwards and some a bit more forward. Then, within the blocks, the pushed back elements also happen with placed back balconies. Besides the volume, also the ground floor and green spaces are designed according to its context. Starting with the ground floor, the more busy commercial functions are placed at the Keizergracht and the more smaller scale and authentic functions, such as a the exhibition/workshop space, are placed at the side of the Kleine Berg.

Looking at the section, it is clearly visible that, the frontal two building blocks with its penthouses on top, form a barrier that distinguishes the busy Keizersgracht from the more peaceful and quiet green spaces that are situated on the south site of the plot and directly connected with the less busy and authentic character of the street Kleine Berg.

To reflect on this project, it was especially useful to learn about residential housing typologies and basic residential design. I learnt a lot about city grid integration, by pushing back parts of the building and creating subvolumes in three main building blocks. Especially the volume models in the context model helped in gaining insight.