'blok k' by NL architects
all images courtesy NL architects

'blok k' has been recently completed by dutch NL architects. it is part of a masterplan
for 500 dwellings and a park by frits van dongen/ de architecten cie. the triangular site
is located between the historic center and the recently redeveloped harbor area in the east
of amsterdam. along the east and the south side a 'wall' containing over 300 apartments
and office spaces shields the site from the noise of the adjacent railroad. inside this semi
open block a loose grid is set up, containing 16 smaller housing blocks positioned in a park.
these 'hidden delights' vary in height from 9 to 18 meters.



blok k is one of three almost square blocks that measure 31 by 28 meters and should
contain 2.5 stories. it was obligatory to build the first two stories in alignment; the third
should be 50% building and 50% roof terrace/garden. in our block the volume is distributed
evenly over the ten houses; each is allocated 630m2.

the houses are organized according to the back to back principle, to be be accessed
from an aisle in the middle of the block. this 'mini canyon' rids the facades of the obligatory
storage spaces and technical facilities that formally have to be accessible from the public
domain.



the front doors are positioned in the back; the houses are turned inside out. by placing
the 'intestines' like water and gas meters, hallways and stairs in the darker zones of
the apartments, the facades can open up to the light and to the view, to where the park is.

to create space within the masterplan this volume is deformed and redistributed, pushed
away as much as possible from the adjacent volumes. within the orthogonal grid a diagonal
vista opens up. the design tool deployed for this operation is the slight rotation of the aisle,
orienting it onto two open spaces between the blocks, instead of 'two' blind walls and as
such providing a public shortcut.

point of reference is the given 630m3 per dwelling. while all houses are at the same time
stretched and compressed, either in height or in length, they still maintain this original
volume. although some features of the typology remain, all houses are individual and unique
reaching from one and a half to four stories, from 132 to 185m2.  the amplitude of
the building now varies from 5 to 15 meters, but overall the average is still the required
7.5 meters. in the process the standard building bay as an organizational tool of construction
became 'elastic'.