The Ox

For the plot of an outdated office building at the Osdorper Ban in Amsterdam, LEVS designed the residential building The Ox with nearly 170 apartments of which three quarters for the medium-prize rental sector. A series of very large city blocks were built north of the location between 2005 and 2009, deviating from the open stamp structure of the AUP (Amsterdam Expansion Plan). The Ox fits in with urban planning, but architecturally, The Ox does match the image quality of the AUP (Amsterdam's General Expansion Plan from the 1930's).

Façade concept

The volume climbs gradually from six to nine layers. The architecture of the building is characterized by a square concrete grid with different interpretations and refers to the post-war housing context. Due to the material differences, cantilevered balconies and bay windows, the building has been given a subtle articulation on the north, west and south side.

Varied housing programme

The Ox contains a large number of two-room apartments of approximately 60 m², accessed via a central corridor. The vertical points of ascent are placed at the inner corners of the block. They are surrounded by three-room apartments of approximately 75 m². The larger houses are situated on the ground floor in the form of two-storey apartments and friends-houses, accessed from the street and equipped with private gardens. The transitions to the public spaces are carefully designed by means of low garden walls, with a hedge behind them. This creates a vibrant plinth. The spacious semi-public courtyard will be filled with terraces and flowering plant zones.