MO Samen IJzersterk is a co-designed residential building developed in close collaboration with its 32 future residents. From the outset, the project was conceived through a collective commissioning process, allowing individual living preferences to directly inform both the dwelling layouts and the overall architectural framework. Through an intensive series of workshops and one-on-one sessions, residents translated daily routines and personal notions of home into spatial strategies, using the “ideal day” method and the concept of feeling of home. Qualitative inputs such as photographs, narratives, references, and music complemented the conventional brief, resulting in a highly differentiated residential programme.

This process led to 32 unique, energy-neutral homes across more than ten housing typologies — including townhouses, maisonettes, and split-level apartments — ranging from 48 to 150 m². Each dwelling is individually tailored, while remaining embedded within a coherent collective structure. Shared amenities, including a communal space and a collective garden, reinforce the social ambition of the project.

Architecturally, the building forms a strong Amsterdam urban block that marks the head of a larger urban ensemble. Its design carefully responds to the different conditions of its three surrounding streets. Towards Srefidensiplein, the façade adopts a vertical, plot-based articulation aligned with the scale of the square and adjacent self-build plots. Along Christiaan Paul Flustraat, the building reads as a rhythmic sequence of townhouse façades, while towards the Muiderlaan it presents itself as a robust urban landmark with a pronounced horizontal articulation.

The façades are executed in classic red brick, articulated through varied masonry bonds that emphasize the layered composition of the building. Bush-hammered prefabricated concrete elements accentuate entrances, the corner condition, and a generous gateway that cuts through the block, reinforcing both its spatial depth and civic presence.