Ammersooiseplein Housing

Representing the last major urban renewal operation in the Angiesebuurt, an area in the north of Rotterdam, the Ammersooiseplein housing replaces the locally prevailing perimeter block with two parallel volumes, set at right angles to the railway viaduct stabbing through the area. The freestanding apartment building has a dual focus. In the lowest two levels the dwellings overlook the square; those above look out onto the skyline of the city centre. This division of the mass accommodates the scale of the surrounding development, though the white rendering framing the main mass stresses the block's unity. Inside the white frame, the façade of set-back external galleries presents a black plan dotted with a capricious pattern of brightly colored front doors. The freestanding lift shaft with its visibly moving lift adds a strong vertical thrust to what is predominantly a horizontally composed façade.