Amsterdam Sluisbuurt (NL)

How can the site contribute to the productive city?

On this location, the task is to generate a vision of productivity for a new multi-functional district that is more than just a label. The challenge is to give spatial expression to contemporary patterns of productivity, living and working in our modern cities. Vertical mixed-use that can be applied at the scale of a block, the scale of a street and the scale of a neighbouhood. The city considers that productivity in Sluisbuurt could be diverse and ‘unexpected’. The competition seeks design proposals that can accommodate flexibility, future trends and possible changes in use.

City strategy

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.

Site definition 

Surrounded by water on two sides, Sluisbuurt is today a tabula rasa. 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.

How is Production Considered in the Urban Diversity Program?

The city’s vision for the area proposes 500,000sqm of residential accommodation and up to 100,000m2 of amenities, leisure areas and work-related spaces. The study area corresponds to phase one of the project. 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. How to create the first attractive steps in a future-proofed mixed-use residential area? On the project site, a 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 only be limited to 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? Based on a design for two building plots within the project site, 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. These guidelines could inform reflections on the study area.

Oranjesluizen

Temporary use on the site

Kea Boumanstraat, looking along the Zuiderzeeweg