C14 is the latest residential building by Studioninedots to be integrated into the urban fabric, designed together with DELVA, which revitalizes the former industrial area of ​​Buiksloterham, Amsterdam. The project is part of the transformation of a factory fabric into an eminently residential urban neighbourhood.

An abstract volume with a mystical appearance on the Tolhuiskanaal promenade, an angular piece that plays with the strong presence of its metal elements, with which the building turns its stepped balconies towards the south to take advantage of natural light, where the promenade is also located, paying homage to the previous way of life in the area.

The C14 building by Studioninedots is the largest on-site C and a landmark on the Tolhuiskade plot, presenting itself as the main structure of a dense neighbourhood in which the rest of the various elements will be articulated around it. As a large building that provides continuity to the urban layout, the fourteenth block is responsible for housing the complex's services on the ground floor.

As a container for a miscellany of ideas, the galvanised metal enveloping the building refers to the area's past while reflecting the sunlight and blurring the boundaries of the façades. Against the steel, the wooden slats of the bicycle parking area take centre stage at night thanks to the warm lighting that escapes to the outside.

C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.

C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.

Description of project by Studioninedots

In Amsterdam's Buiksloterham, the Cityplot area, for which Studioninedots created the urban concept earlier in collaboration with DELVA, is coming to life. Our plan transforms the disused industrial site into a vivid and sustainable urban district, where the collective, local value, diversity and resilience take centre stage. To this end, buildings, public space and landscape work together as an integrated system.

Standing as an abstract object with a mystical appearance on the waterfront of the Tolhuiskanaal, C14 is Cityplot Buiksloterham's newest building. One of our design's defining features is its steel facade, fulfilling several functions at once. In one stroke, the sequence of jagged balconies creates the sheltered outdoor spaces for the new residents, maximised daylight entry through the big windows and the building's raw identity.

C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.
C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.

We imagined C14 as a warehouse - yet, flipped on its side and redesigned in a modern interpretation. With this, we reference the industrial history of the site, while at the same time making use of the functionality of a warehouse’s shed roof. While the angular structure enhances natural light on one side, on the other it creates shade that avoids excessive heating in summer and ensures a protective microclimate across the facade.

This idea allowed us to position all outdoor spaces in C14 facing south and on the waterfront. Large glass walls seamlessly connect the balconies to the houses, letting natural light and views flood the interiors.

C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.
C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.

By taking the bicycle parking out of the building, we provided the space on the ground floor for creative businesses on the waterfront and residences behind glass fronts in the street, which energise the public space around the clock. Behind the uniform wall of outdoor spaces lies a variety of residences, stretching from ground-floor houses along the street to a wide top-floor apartment in the building’s tip.

C14 is one of the larger buildings on Plot C, on which we are working on a total of seven buildings. Plot C, also known as Tolhuiskade, is laid out as a Cityplot, our concept that we use to transform former industrial and factory sites into new city districts, with an ideal plot size of 100x100 metres.

C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.
C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.

On a Cityplot, different functions that are normally spread across the city are merged into an intensive urban neighbourhood. Designing the separate buildings in their own visual language ensures architectural variety and an area with a distinct identity.

On Tolhuiskade's inner side, C14 is therefore the abstract backdrop for the smaller, expressive buildings, such as the black-coloured C19. This building with two stacked two-storey dwellings is the first of its kind. From now, the other small-scale structures will be added to the plot.

C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.
C14 by Studioninedots. Photography by Sebastian van Damme.

C14 has a shiny skin of Magnelis steel, a type of metal galvanised in a weld pool. This gives the building its dual nature, dissolving into the sky or catching your eye as it mirrors sunlight. Meanwhile, the steel refers to Buiksloterham's industrial past and is re-usable in the future.

On the court side, we added a small-scale timber pavilion, housing the bicycle storage and water retention. The rainwater collected here is re-used by the residents. We found the warm atmosphere of the wood to contrast with the solid steel of C14, and soon with the other buildings that will come into being at Tolhuiskade. At night, the pavilion with its slatted facade lights up like a lantern and becomes a friendly beacon in the emerging neighbourhood.

More information

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Architects
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Studioninedots. Lead architects.- Albert Herder, Vincent van der Klei, Metin van Zijl.

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Project team
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Jurjen van der Horst, Ruben Visser, Dennis Roest, Sem Holweg, Laura Berasaluce, Isabel Albert Lopez, Joost Maatkamp.

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Collaborators
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HSB Bouw, Rometa Metaalproducten B.V.

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Client
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Synchroon.

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Area
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4,000 sqm.

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Dates
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Design.- 2020.
Completed.- 2024.

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Location
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Tolhuiskanaal, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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Photograph
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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: January 31, 2025
Cite: "From industrial to housing. C14 by Studioninedots" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/industrial-housing-c14-studioninedots> ISSN 1139-6415
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