Type
housing

Source
project comission (MVRDV)

Client
Stadgenoot

Address/Site
Olympia Kwartier, Almere, Netherlands

Site area
268 m² (F11 building), 368 m² (K9 building)

Building area
268 m² (F11 building), 368 m² (K9 building)

Total floor area
1.342 m² (F11 building), 2.520 m² (K9 building)

Storeys
gf + 4 storeys + green roof (F11 building),
gf + 6 storeys + penthouse (K9 building)

Structure
concrete shoebox

Cladding
painted masonry, prefabricated balconies

Architect
MVRDV (lead architect), SADAR+VUGA (Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Tina Hočevar, Edmon Muller, Sven Kalim)

Building F11 is located in the center of the new development OLYMPIA KWARTIER, along the main street Olympiaweg and framed by a secondary street that connects to the main station. It is positioned between two higher buildings.

The central core defines a symmetrical organization in the building,defining two appartments per storey and two office units on the ground floor. Each apartment has a line of sight from street to courtyard, through the living, dining and kitchen areas; Night areas are located further from the core, extending to both facades.

The facade’s geometry are the results of the main features of the apartment: cozy bay-windows on the street side and wide balconies on the courtyard. The shape of these extensions changes from floor to floor, creating the 3-dimensional facade drape. The openings in this skin are positioned so as to respect privacy from one housing to the other while providing interesting side views to the outside.

Thickness and opacity of the masonry wall is one of the main issues in the building appearance. Three different layers – paint, stripes,brick pattern- define the character of the building.

Building K9 is located on the edge of the OLYMPIA KWARTIER development, along the main road OlympiaWeg. It stands on a block corner and is higher than its neighbours.The volume of this building is defined by a knit mesh. They define a continuous surface that stands as both facade and balconies/french windows fences. Its openings are the hollows left by the interweaving of surfaces.

The core located in the back of building defines the arrangement of each floor – two large apartments and a social housing apartment. Each unit has access to one large balcony facing the boulevard in the main living space, as well as access to smaller balconies facing the streetside. On the sixth and seventh floor, a duplex extends to a private terrace. The rest of the rooftop is used as a communal terrace with views to both streets and the courtyard.

On the balconies the pattern follows the same scheme but is hollowed. The whole masonry cladding is painted in a light green shade which emphasizes the light effects on the curvy surfaces.