BSH20A Stories reimagines how high-density urban living can coexist with ecological health and social connection. Designed by Amsterdam-based Olaf Gipser Architects for a resident-led cooperative (Bouwgroep BSH20A), the mixed-use residential tower in Amsterdam’s post-industrial Buiksloterham district integrates human and non-human habitats within a single vertical structure. Built largely from renewable, bio-based materials and guided by Open Building principles, Stories was developed to evolve with its community over time.
Structure and form
The project occupies an exposed plot at the junction of a main street and a former harbour basin. The building’s eleven-metre concrete plinth supports a forty-five-metre timber tower composed of cross-laminated timber (CLT) plates. The mass timber construction defines a bay width of 4.8 metres, resulting in a floor plan that spans six bays. Large openings create spatial connections across the bays, allowing flexible partitioning from one to six individual units per floor. The CLT floors are exposed as timber ceilings in the floors below, while a foam-concrete mass layer improves acoustic performance and load distribution. Walls are clad with fire-resistant and soundproofing plasterboard.
Living and working flexibility
Within its current configuration, Stories accommodates twenty-nine apartments ranging from compact single-level units to expansive, double-height dwellings of up to 185 square metres. Many apartments integrate dedicated workspaces, reflecting the cooperative’s ambition to blend living and working. Ceiling heights of 2.87 and 6.12 metres, corresponding to single- and double-height units, lend the interiors a sense of openness and spatial variety.
Nature-inclusive architecture
Externally, an enveloping steel structure forms a framework for balconies, winter gardens, and vegetation modules that blur the threshold between interior and exterior. This lattice acts as shading, privacy screening, and ecological infrastructure, hosting fifty-seven double-height planters that support trees, shrubs, and grasses. The planted framework moderates microclimate, enhances biodiversity, and infuses the facade with a shifting, seasonal character. Above, a communal roof garden for urban agriculture connects to a shared indoor space, fostering social interaction and collective stewardship.
Shared habitat
Stories demonstrates how a cooperative development model can drive architectural innovation and environmental performance simultaneously. By combining mass timber construction, adaptable floor plans, and nature-inclusive design, the project extends the idea of dwelling beyond individual ownership — creating a shared habitat for an expanded community of humans and non-humans alike.
“Developing and building Stories together meant building a community. As a group, we dared to take on challenging aspects such as timber construction, vertical gardens, a winter garden, and a communal roof garden. The final result looks more beautiful than we could have imagined. Stories immediately feels like home.” — Mirjam & Debby, residents of Stories.
