
Urban development Cruquius
Making a city on our peninsula
Urban development Cruquius
Book
If Amsterdam's Cruquius Island were music, it would be jazz, the style characterised by its swing feel, unexpected touches and improvisation. This publication gives a full overview of the four designs LEVS created here - De Bocht, De Loods, 2 Peer and Harbour Club - , with drawings, photography, essays and analyses from urban planning to house plan and from client to resident.
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From pioneer to area developer
The once thriving port with oil mills and spice trade on Amsterdam's Cruquius Island had all but disappeared by 2006. The port had given way to heavy industry with a concrete plant, steel and waste companies. Surrounded by water and wind, on a dead end and overlooking this industry, we moved into our new office on Cruquiusweg in 2008.
During the crisis years that followed, real estate investors, with Amvest as a major trigger, bought up the otherwise vacant island in order to develop it into a live/work area. The empty buildings were slowly populated by initiative-rich startups, the new incubators and quartermasters of Cruquius. As ‘residents’ of the island, we became inspired by its rugged cultural history and future developments. We decided to take the initiative with a transformation proposal for the distinctive shed of waste company Remepa and sat down with the new owner Amvest. The idea arose to simultaneously co-develop the complex plots next to the shed. This led to the intensive joint area development and architectural infill of the entire inner bend on Cruquiusweg.
Creating coherence in a complex plot
The triangular shape of the area to be developed was unusual and the position of the shed determined the plot of the other projects. The starting point was to design three different residential buildings in conjunction with each other. After many volume studies and a constant helicopter view, we arrived at a careful and nimble interpretation of the plan. As a result, we managed to give the design for the three buildings an urban and spatial coherence, architectural connection with the neighbouring areas and diversity in typology.
De Bocht
The Shed connects via a pedestrian zone to the townhouses of the white maritime terrace building De Bocht. Over the building's indoor car park, the apartment complex rises like a sunny mountain rock to fifteen storeys with almost as many housing types. From social housing to penthouses. The differences of the three buildings show the mixed character of the area; the interplay forms a natural whole. In the Cruquius Binnenbocht, this striking trio opens up like a supple hinge towards its residents and the surrounding water of the harbour.
Old wine in new barrels
A little further on, at the entrance to the island, the area development continued with Amvest on Cruquius. Here, we designed Harbour Club: An old wine terminal from 1901, which has been the address of restaurant The Harbour Club since 2012, with its characteristic wooden construction has become part of a powerful complex with a bold, industrial look. Three old wine silos on the roof form a new icon for Cruquius Island.
A programme of 10,000 m² has been created at this central location on the new marina, a vibrant mix with restaurant, event location, 81 starter homes, 5 live/work homes and three luxury town houses in the former wine silos. Stacked ‘boxes’ made of concrete frames with an infill of glass and bronze-coloured aluminium refer to the old industrial harbour with its warehouses.