Amstelhome / Housing

Although it was built later, the project of AmstelHome was a prelude to the Ravel Residence project. It set the ambition and shaped the concept for the student housing of the Student Experience company. Like Ravel the housing is temporary for a period of 15 years. The site, at the fringes of the Amstelkwartier is undergoing a rapid transformation from a typical industrial to a new mixed area of work, living and services. AmstelHome is the start of this transformation in this particular area along one of the main entrances to the city.

The project, containing 520 small dwellings, is designed like a residential hotel with a central entrance and reception. There are various communal facilities on the ground floor such as a lobby with a bar and restaurant, a laundry and a study area. The idea is to see complex as a temporary community with the emphasis on places where students can meet and exchange. All apartments are mini homes with their own address kitchen and a bathroom. Each floor also has a number of larger homes. The complex comprises 5 floors with a communal garden in the courtyard. The outer elevations are partly a double façade to reduce the highway noise in the apartments.

The expression of the building is made by the horizontal strips of white wood and sliding glass systems. Deep yellow recesses give the building colour. In contrast the elevations of the courtyard are black to form a restrained backdrop for the garden. A rooftop basketball court in the same yellow colour is the trademark of Student Experience and confirms the idea of a building as a community.