YCON Amsterdam presents a dynamic frontage concept designed from the outside in
Sebastian van Damme

YCON Amsterdam presents a dynamic frontage concept designed from the outside in

1 Oct 2023  •  News  •  By Allie Shiell

In Amsterdam Buiksloterham, YCON is a small-scale residential building featuring a frontage of outdoor rooms alternating with staggered stacked gardens. Designed by Amsterdam-based office Studioninedots, the dynamic frontage concept is visible from the surrounding streets and canals, thus presenting a green, environmentally-minded face for sustainable living in the city. 

Caption

 

Designed from the outside in, the outdoor rooms are conceived as living spaces usable regardless of the season or shifting rhythm of the day. Floor-to-ceiling folding glass walls can fully open or close the rooms, providing extended living space at all times. Each outdoor room is positioned next to a generous, shared garden, which changes position on each floor. The gardens contribute to cooling and air purification while enhancing biodiversity and connections between the building’s inhabitants and nature. “The mix of green spaces entices residents to shift their focus from within to the outside, aiming to promote a solid connection with the city’s flora and fauna, as well as with the other residents,” says Jurjen van der Horst, Associate at Studioninedots.  

Caption

 

onstructed with materials suited to the surrounding industrial context, the structure of the building comprises prefabricated, demountable concrete elements that can be dismantled and reused in the future. To support the façade gardens, this structure integrates a thick, sunken layer of soil capable of growing a range of shrubs, flowers, and vegetables. 

photo_credit Sebastian van Damme
Sebastian van Damme

 

On the roof, rainwater is collected, stored and reused for garden irrigation, thus reducing the pressure of excess rainwater on the sewage system.