ruijterkade

Extension of a House into a Residential Building  |  Amsterdam  |  the Netherlands

The house on Ruijterkade 110 along the IJ was designed by Foeke Kuipers and built around 1905. Now, the property is sandwiched between new office buildings that adhere to the maximum envelope allowed in the zoning plan. The house is literally in a tight corner: especially at the rear, the scale of the house is diminutive in comparison to the large overhang of the adjacent office at number 112.

The back of the dwelling has been extended to create a residential building. The maximum building volume has not been employed, but every effort was made to create a new silhouette on the railway side between Ruijterkade 112 and 108. The tower-like, saddleback volume connects the adjacent buildings, yet keeps its individual character, so that the subdivision of the buildings is still apparent. Other starting points for the design were the views of the IJ and of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in the Amsterdam city centre. All apartments have living space on both the IJ side and the city side.

The back of the penthouse on top overlooks the front of the property and, further out, the IJ. A courtyard created between the front of the building and the back of the building allows views of the city centre. An undulating roof heightens the front of the house and connects it to its new rear. The penthouse is topped with a large greenhouse, which can be turned into outdoor space by opening the glass sections. The back of the building, which faces the railway track, is a double façade: shutters on the courtyard provide ventilation. The rear façade is clad in sheet metal which, also by its colour, refers to the industrial character of the railway yard and accompanying railway bridges in the background.