The thriving urban district of Oostenburg combines industrial heritage with an urban density new to Amsterdam. The project by Studioninedots is the latest large-scale development in the centre of the Netherlands' capital city, a 'spontaneous city' in the form of an island that provides quality public places for living and community growth.

The transformation of Oostenburg into a mixed living and working island is the result of an urban plan that stems from Studioninedots' exploration of how to preserve diversity within the existing building envelopes, with the aim of forming an open and sustainable urban area for comfortable living and working.

Studioninedots uses a combination of buildings and plots of different scales and periods to adapt this urban plan to the city centre, providing a stark contrast that achieves very high density while maintaining the human scale that promotes a sense of community.

By leaving many entrances and stairs open and generating interiors that employ variations in scale, colour and material in existing and new volumes, the urban configuration project creates numerous informal connections between public and private spaces that promote social integration between residents, visitors and businesses, creating a lively district.

Oostenburg by Studioninedots. Photograph by Sebastian van Damme

Oostenburg by Studioninedots. Photograph by Sebastian van Damme.

Descripción del proyecto por Studioninedots

The island of Oostenburg in Amsterdam was formed together with the neighbouring Oostelijke Eilanden (Eastern Islands) Kattenburg and Wittenburg by draining part of the IJ river. While Kattenburg and Wittenburg became residential areas, Oostenburg maintained its identity as a working island. The history of Oostenburg dates back to when it was a Dutch East India Company shipyard, which later became a workplace for shipbuilder Stork and by 2005 was the site for the INIT building.

Today, Oostenburg is the final large-scale development in Amsterdam's city centre. The new island brings together its industrial heritage with an urban density new to Amsterdam, quality public places to reside and the growth of a community.

In 2015, Studioninedots was asked to collaborate on the urban plan, which had been launched under the direction of Urhahn Stedenbouw & Strategie in 2012. Together with Urhahn, we worked on the urban design, defining the building envelopes and creating the architectural quality plan.

Oostenburg by Studioninedots. Photograph by Sebastian van Damme
Oostenburg by Studioninedots. Photograph by Sebastian van Damme.

The transformation of Oostenburg into a mixed living-working island kicked off when Stadgenoot acquired the property. In line with Urhahn's vision, the aim was to form a piece of ‘Spontaneous City’: an urban area open to constant transition, created with and by its residents, thereby becoming a sustainable place to live and work.

During development, a different approach was taken than allocating separate 'plot passports' to buildings. Instead, larger building plots were laid out, giving developers more freedom within their building envelopes, while still ensuring variety in architectural grain size.

Drawing on our architectural expertise, Studioninedots explored how this diversity could be preserved within the building envelopes combined with the architectural quality plan. This approach merged the directed diversity of the Cityplot concept with the vision of a spontaneously evolving city.

Oostenburg by Studioninedots. Photograph by Sebastian van Damme
Oostenburg by Studioninedots. Photograph by Sebastian van Damme.

A key focus was on preserving the area's raw character and remaining relics, such as the Werkspoorhal, the trestles, restaurant Roest and other remnants in which industrial history is palpable. Between larger, existing buildings such as the Van Gendthallen, the INIT building and the Werkspoorhal, we have inserted a cluster of smaller structures.

In the architectural quality plan, we have defined uniformity within, yet contrast between these different grain sizes, using variations in scale, colour and materials. To fit in with the city centre, all residential buildings are designed with vertical volumes, providing a bold contrast to both the old and new elongated work buildings. By combining this with smaller and larger buildings on varied plot sizes, we achieved a very high density for Amsterdam, yet maintained the human scale that promotes a sense of community.

Leaving many entrances and stairwells open has created numerous informal connections between the courtyards and public streets, complementing the formal passages. Along with the area's nearly car-free layout, this design fosters the social interaction among residents, businesses, and visitors, creating a lively district in the new Oostenburg.

More information

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Architects
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Project team
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Albert Herder, Vincent van der Klei, Metin van Zijl, Ruben Visser, Wouter Hermanns, Karlijn de Jong, Monika Pieroth.

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Client
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Stadgenoot.

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Area
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140,000 sqm.

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Dates
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Project.- 2015-ongoing.

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Location
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Oostenburg, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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Photography
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Studioninedots was established in 2011 by Albert Herder, Vincent van der Klei, Arie van der Neut and Metin van Zijl as an architecture and urban design practice whose work extends from housing to urban concepts. Their practice excels in projects that transform complex urban sites, interweaving the built environment with the social fabric of a city. They are fascinated by the processes of (re)using or activating these sites; their dynamic contexts often demand unconventional solutions yet inspire new collective ways of living.

When facing urban challenges, they identify opportunities in circularity and, at the same time, embrace beauty and tactility as essential human needs. They team up: they adopt a collaborative approach that inspires, challenges and strengthens our work. Together with their clients and partners, they translate forward-thinking ideas and designs into a realistic framework, creating characteristic spaces that function as catalysts for meeting, exchange and connection.

Studioninedots is a multidisciplinary design practice with professionals working across architecture, interiors and urban planning. Studioninedots is based in Amsterdam, a city that inspires their with its open-mindedness, adaptability and creativity. With this in mind they initiated the Creative Workspace 1-1-1 in the former Stork factory building located along the Gedempt Hamerkanaal in Amsterdam’s north. It has an unfinished quality like its surroundings, thrives in its temporality, balances between rawness and comfort and has an element of unpredictability in its use: Studioninedots own WeSpace.
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Published on: October 31, 2024
Cite: "Industrial heritage and urban density. Oostenburg by Studioninedots" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/industrial-heritage-and-urban-density-oostenburg-studioninedots> ISSN 1139-6415
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