With the completion of the public space, the green neighbourhood is now complete. Nieuw Echtenstein proves that a forgotten patch of land between a motorway and a block of flats can be transformed into a place with character, and that good architecture for a vulnerable group is not a luxury, but the starting point.
From empty field to green neighbourhood
At the western tip of the E-buurt in Amsterdam Zuidoost was an anonymous, disused field. This is where all the facets of the Bijlmermeer converge: the remains of a honeycomb-style block of flats, a later low-rise housing estate and the wide motorways running alongside the Gooiseweg. A residual space without an identity. Nieuw Echtenstein is transforming it into a fully-fledged, green residential neighbourhood with 80 social housing apartments for a vulnerable target group and a community programme on the ground floor.
A building for the neighbourhood
The project begins and ends with the residents. Sixty of the eighty flats were allocated to people from the nearby G&G blocks, enabling them to continue living in their own neighbourhood. The client, Rochdale, sought an optimal combination of sustainability and living comfort, ensuring residents experienced a real leap in quality of life. LEVS deliberately designed spacious two-, three- and four-room apartments ranging from 40 to 85 m², larger than is typical in Amsterdam, each with a ten-square-metre balcony. Wide central corridors and extra space by the front door provide security and a sense of coming home.
Architecture without a label
Nieuw Echtenstein looks straightforward, but the colonnade of balconies and the sparkling white colour lend the building a certain allure. You wouldn’t guess from its appearance that it is social housing, which is why it will retain its value. On the lower floors, narrow spacing between the balustrade bars ensures privacy from the side; on the upper floors, wider spacing between the bars allows for views and makes the building appear lighter. With its varied chequerboard pattern of brickwork, the façade reflects the cultural patchwork of Zuidoost. The design combines architectural elements from the honeycomb blocks into a coherent whole that sets the tone for further regeneration.
Low in CO2, rich in nature
To keep the building’s emissions low, LEVS opted for surplus batches of bricks: this saves the energy required to fire new bricks and, alternatively, that would be needed to crush and refire recycled bricks. This saved approximately 100 tonnes of CO2. The balconies act as a second skin, letting in the low winter sun but blocking the summer sun, thereby making active cooling unnecessary. Along the first six storeys, steel cables guide the greenery upwards, and bird and bat boxes have been incorporated into the façade. At the busy rear, harbour windows keep the flats soundproof whilst allowing in daylight and fresh air.
Fast, smart, sustainable
The building was erected to a height of nine storeys in six months, entirely prefabricated and without scaffolding, following a rigorous lean planning process. Floors, walls, galleries, columns and façade elements were delivered from the factory fully prepared. Yet nothing about this building is hasty: the robust shell is designed to last a century.
