Scale: L – Urban and architectural
Team representative: Architect, Urban Planner
Site family:
Location: Sluisbuurt, Amsterdam
Population: Amsterdam: 835.000
Study area: 48,3 Ha
Project site: 2,29 Ha

Site provided by: city of Amsterdam
Actor(s) involved: city of Amsterdam
Owner(s) of the site: city of Amsterdam
Prizes: 1st Prize €12,000, Runner-up €6,000, Special mentions

SITE DEFINITION

Surrounded by water on two sides, Sluisbuurt is today a tabularasa. The city’s intention was to build on this location much earlier but those plans were delayed by the economic crisis. This year the city has completed a concept urban plan, which will be basis for the future development. In recent times, Zeeburgereiland’s connectivity has been improved. Access to IJburg by car, bicycle and public transport is now possible. Zeeburgereiland is directly connected to Amsterdam’s main ring road; two busy roads with bike paths intersect the middle of the island; on the southern edge of the site a tram station is the main public transport link between the city center and IJburg.

WHAT IS CITY STRATEGY FOR THE AREA?

Over the last 20 years, intense housing production has taken place in Amsterdam-Oost as old districts and former dockland areas were upgraded and regenerated. The site for the competition is located on Zeeburgereiland and in the future it will link the centuries- old Indische Buurt with the new residential districts in IJburg and Amsterdam’s eastern docklands. Today, Amsterdam is under pressure to expand because it is recognised as an attractive international city. It is trying to find its own way to navigate these market forces. Sluisbuurt has been conceived as a compact city extension and while tall buildings characterize the vision, at street level the neighbourhood should feel typically Amsterdam.

MAIN QUESTIONS AND COMPETITION ASSIGNMENT
  1. On the project site, an architectural vision is expected for a contemporary combination of living and working at the scale of the block, street and neighbourhood to create a mixed-use residential area. Design ideas should not be limited to only the public space and special features in the plinths of buildings. The municipality is looking specifically for forms of mixed-use throughout the building. How can living and working be combined in vertical urban form? The search is for a vision of multifunctional buildings at each scale in this new neighbourhood.
  2. The study area corresponds to phase one of the Sluisbuurt concept urban plan. At this scale, the task is to consider how urban, architectural, spatial, functional and landscape qualities can be established in the early years of the project. The creation of a neighbourhood of such large dimensions demands, in the first phase, an attractive feel and appearance for future residents and workers. How to create the first attractive steps in a resilient mixed-use residential area? How can this be achieved, and by what means?
  3. Based on a tangible design for plots 6b and 6c, participants are requested to prepare urban design guidelines for buildings, public space and the transition between the two. These guidelines should help achieve the general goal to create a dynamic, viable and inclusive Amsterdam neighbourhood.