The stewardship of an entirely new urban typology: creating a sense of character and an exciting environment that works as a unified whole.
Borneo and Sporenburg are two 19th century harbour docks located north of Amsterdam’s city center. Between 1993 and 2000, West 8 led their transformation into one residential district with 2500 mainly low-rise dwellings, in a high density of 100 units per hectare.
Reimagining the streetscape: a framework for diversity and participation
West 8 supervised 100 emerging and established architects in their designs for a re-interpretation of the traditional Dutch canal house. The playful variation in façade designs led to an animated street elevation, culminating in the row of privately commissioned houses at the Scheepstimmermanstraat. The two realized ‘meteorites’ are the industrial brick apartment block Pacman (Koen van Velzen) and The Sfinx/The Whale, with its West 8-designed courtyard, a sloping roofline and zinc-panelled facade (ArchitectenCie).
Water is the dominant public domain of Borneo-Sporenburg, a quality celebrated by two landmark bridges. The scent of the wind, reflections and sunsets over the river IJ are pulled into the living environment.
Client
New Deal
Imagery
© Jeroen Musch, © West 8
