LIVING AT BUYSKADE
area development in Amsterdam
design
In the design for the Buyskade, the requested programmatic diversity and the quality of the location lead to a research of the arrangement between public and private. Instead of a common horizontal organisation, the research resulted in a proposal for a vertical sequence from the public to the private domain.
At ground level there are premises for businesses and utility facilities. On top of these public spaces there is a raised ground floor, which is 7 meters above street level, serving the upper dwellings with gardens en collective outdoor space. Most of the housing are located in three towers that morphologically connect to the existing towers along the water Kostverlorenvaart. By following the old building alignments for the infill, the 19th century urban structure will be restored.
area development in Amsterdam
client: | Amplan Vastgoed BV; Strukton Vastgoedontwikkeling BV |
design: | Gert Jan Knevel |
project team: | Remco van Dijk, Peter de Jager, Joris Jansen, Lard Joordens |
location: | Buyskade, Amsterdam |
plot size: | 6.000 m² |
floor area: | 19.000 m² |
start design: | May 2002 |

design
In the design for the Buyskade, the requested programmatic diversity and the quality of the location lead to a research of the arrangement between public and private. Instead of a common horizontal organisation, the research resulted in a proposal for a vertical sequence from the public to the private domain.
At ground level there are premises for businesses and utility facilities. On top of these public spaces there is a raised ground floor, which is 7 meters above street level, serving the upper dwellings with gardens en collective outdoor space. Most of the housing are located in three towers that morphologically connect to the existing towers along the water Kostverlorenvaart. By following the old building alignments for the infill, the 19th century urban structure will be restored.

assignment
Commissioned by ‘Amplan Vastgoed B.V.’ and in cooperation with the Municipality of city district Westerpark, Knevel Architecten made a study for a new urban infill in the area between Kostverlorenvaart and the Visseringstraat in the district Westerpark. This infill should combine companies and facilities with housing.
location
The site on the quay is located on a junction of the inner ring and the main roads to the centre of Amsterdam. In terms of zoning of the smaller ring is the transition between car (accessibility from the A10 ring of Amsterdam) and the bike (which provides the access to the inner city). Since the Dutch government intent to condense urban areas with housing, the zone of the smaller ring is an attractive location for densification.

