In Amsterdam, housing project Domus Houthaven has been commissioned. The block consists of several volumes that offer a total of 235 studio apartments. In order to use the modest living area (from 43 to 60 square meters) as efficiently as possible, functions such as the sleeping quarters, kitchen and sanitary facilities are housed in a "smart core".
Domus Houthaven is aimed at one- and two-person households, report Shift architecture urbanism, Synchroon and ...,staat, who developed the housing concept. In addition to their own apartments, residents will have collective facilities such as a shared living and work room and (on the fifth floor) a cooking studio, guesthouse and roof terrace. The plinth will include a nursery, a gym and a café that is connected to the collective living and working room.
The block was built on the northwestern edge of the new Houthaven district and with its volumetric layout follows the urban design principle of unity in diversity. The volumes all have their own grain size, façade rhythm and color. The typology of housing and access also varies per volume. Furthermore, all volumes have their own masonry grid with varying depths of recesses.
Indoor Garden
The volumes are physically connected by a circulation space that runs throughout the block. Placing the blocks slightly apart creates entrances and corridors with plenty of natural light, reports Shift. The corridors connect the dwellings and open up communal facilities and the also communal courtyard garden for residents.
By placing two blocks further apart on the south side, users of the courtyard garden enjoy more sunlight and views. The two aforementioned blocks are connected by an air bridge on the fifth floor.
Adjacent to the courtyard garden is the communal living and working room, which is also the social heart of the block. The space is open and flexible in character, but is homey in design. Shift designed four large freestanding pieces of furniture that function as room dividers. These create different places and allow for multiple activities at the same time without affecting the continuity of the space, according to the architectural firm.
The living and work room also serves as a space for group activities. Furthermore, a laundry room and the administrator's office are integrated into the space.
Roof pavilion
Through the air bridge, a roof pavilion containing a cooking studio and a guesthouse is accessible. The cooking studio is designed as a greenhouse with an unobstructed view of the Spaarndammer neighborhood. In addition to a professional cooking island, seating areas for groups are available both inside and outside on the roof terrace. The guest room is equipped with a bathroom, allowing residents to have their guests stay here independently
Below the communal garden in the heart of the block is a bicycle storage area for nearly five thousand bicycles and a two-level parking garage with seventy parking spaces, five of which are for shared cars.
To create as much free living space as possible in the studio apartments, the kitchen, bathroom, closet space and sleeping space are housed in a separate element, consisting of connected modules. Each module has its own color, and because the element varies per apartment type, this gives each home its own character.
Domus Living
Domus Houthaven is the first realized project within the concept Domus Living. Administrators and managers have been appointed for the programmatic side of the project, whose tasks include promoting contact between residents and picking up chores.
Within Domus Houthaven, Flux landscape architecture is responsible for the landscape design.
