Ringdijk-Middenweg

Appr. 35 apartments & court houses, Amsterdam
Public & private sector
Client: Eigen Haard, Amsterdam
Co-designer: MUST, Amsterdam
2019

The inner yard of the corner block at Ringdijk-Middenweg is occupied by a derelict textile workshop and a garage. The houses at Ringdijk are in a poor state of maintenance. One of those houses is a municipal monument (comparable to Grade II listed). The block has been appointed as an opportunity to densify the city of Amsterdam in the municipal policy memorandum Ruimte voor de Stad, Koers 2025 (Space for the City, Course 2025) from 2016.

The urban design departs from the quality of the closed perimeter block. The perimeter building follows the parcel structure and height of the neighbouring houses. At the site of the garage in the ‘pitof the hook of the block and at Ringdijk two small apartment buildings may be built. The apartments at Ringdijk are organized around the restored municipal monument which will serve as their entrance lobby. In this way, and despite its limited size and functional possibilities, the little edifice will be kept and will become activated as a semi-public space. The inner court will be quiet and green. There is space for a short row of court housing. Some of the existing structures will be re-used as bicycle stores and plant rooms for sustainable energy supply.