Urban hybrid buildings

The design studio’s ‘Hybrid builing for the Dutch city’ focus on the design of complex urban architectural objects in prominend locations in the concolidated (historical) centres of Dutch cities. The case study was the central area of the “Binnengasthuis terrein” in Amsterdam. This area is a complex urban site at the southern corner of the ancient city.
The assignment for the course was to deal wih a mixed program of living and educational functions having relation with the gradation of public and semi-public space.  The objective was a 6000 square meters University lecturehall with conferencing facilities combined with 4000 square meters of dwellings for students and/or starters.

On a urbanistic point of view, you clearly see the relation of the design to the urban surroundings. It has a strong form which it encountered by the urban axes. It keeps itself within the boundaries of the site. The design also reacts to the excisting open/public spaces. I tried to enclose the areas in a logic way to strengthen them or give them new meaning. The program is devided in two seperate buildings creating a new passageway. I wanted this passageway to be the new main entrance to the whole area with my design as the first building with several functions. The passageway functions as a big square where students come together, have lunch or just past threw. To make the building fit in this area it should not be to high. During the designproces i kept comparing my building with the height of the surrounding buildings amongst other things. The entrances of the building are located on places where most people come from. Also the functions within the building are located at places where you can find similar programs, like the dwellings near the excisting dwellings. The dwellings have their own inercourtyard and collective areas.