KCAP architects: django building, amsterdam

the django building by KCAP architects & planners
all images courtesy KCAP architects & planners


KCAP architects&planners have completed the django building; an apartment complex
in amsterdam’s zuidas development area. the building occupies lot 8 of zuidas’ gershwin, cluster III,
district for which KCAP previously completed a mass study.

gershwin is the first district of zuidas which focuses on housing with a diverse variety of apartment types.
of the total of 1,500 homes over the entire area approximately 300 will be realised in gershwin III.
the django building, one of the first completed residential buildings there, comprises of 108 rental
apartments, commercial spaces and a one-storey underground parking garage by inbo architects.
the remainder of the buildings will be completed by 2015.

with its 9 storeys, the django building is the lowest city block between the highest building in the area,
the 29-storey twin tower amsterdam symphony designed by the architecten cie, and the 20-storey duke
tower designed by ateliers lion.

KCAP divides the 15,000m2 total programme over two buildings, a sunken garden and several terraces.
the lower floors, with mainly commercial spaces, are defined by a printed glass facade. above, black
brickwork and a repetitive but slightly shifted pattern of anodized window frames and balconies dominate
the building’s appearance. the all-sidedness of the facade enhances the sculptural character of the stone
volumes on the glass plinth.

constructively, the application of a load bearing facade allows for large window openings on all sides.
all living areas are oriented in two directions and glazed from floor to ceiling. innovative cold and warmth
storage, with a closed source system, is employed to ensure sustainable cooling and heating in the apartments.