Arons and Gelauff

Pontsteiger Residential Building

Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

PONTSTEIGER RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Arons en Gelauff architecten

CATEGORY
Residential Architecture, Residential

LOCATION
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

MANUFACTURERS
Koninklijke Tichelaar, Hibex

AREA
64000 M²

BUILDING PHYSICS
Dpa Cauberg Huygen

CLIMATIZATION
Hiensch Engineering

LANDSCAPE
More Landscape (Hosper)

FACADES
Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum, Hibex

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING COMPANY
Van Rossum

CONSTRUCTION
Bouwbedrijf M.j. De Nijs B.v, Dura Vermeer Bouw Midden West B.v

Text description provided by architect.

Pontsteiger (‘ferrypier’) is a large-scale residential project in Amsterdam. The building is located at the end of a 200 metre dam that projects into the water of the river IJ.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

The ‘Big Friendly Giant’ foreshadows Amsterdam’s growth of high-rise buildings around river IJ. The design creates not just an iconic object but a public space within itself.

The building consists of a six floor low-rise block that wraps around a plaza on the waterfront. Two slender 60 metre high towers at the open end of this block frame the river view.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

In the final project the sizes of apartments range between 65 m2 and 410 m2. Pontsteiger contains 366 apartments, 2000 m² of commercial space, and a parking garage with 338 places.

A marina is located at the westside. The public space on ground level provides access to the water and creates views across the river in every direction.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Marcel van der Burg
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

Despite its scale, the building’s elevated volume creates an astonishing light-footed presence on site and a constantly changing appearance from every part of the city.

The unusual form was designed with apartment dwellers' preferences in mind: residential demand is highest either at the top of high-rises (penthouse views) or at the base to connect to the liveliness at cityl evel. In Pontsteiger the part in between is simply minimized.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Thomas Schlijper
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

The volume is adjusted to its context; low where it touches upon the city’s low-rise new town ‘Houthavens’ (Timber docks) and high where it meets the large expanse of the river.

The original concept proved to be capable of adapting to extreme market forces throughout the project (Great Financial Crisis and the resulting Dutch Residential Crisis) while remaining the same in proportion and appearance.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode
Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch

The bridge’s structure consists of four 78 ton steel trusses with four diagonal braces each. Extra insulation, low-energy elevators, LED-lighting and hot-fill washing machines bring the energy demand for heating and electricity to half of what Dutch building law demands.

Seven totally different residential programmes were designed in the 13 years of its making. Its 22 meter thickness allowed for a variety of circulation types that made a highly adaptable mix of floorplan typologies possible.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch

The towers carry a bridge spanning 48 metres rising to a height of 90 metres. The building is elevated 7 metres and set upon a base of four pavilions.

The roof is covered with 2600 m2 of PV and 1800 m2 greenery. In the facades of Pontsteiger a playful grid of marble-white concrete is set with artisan glazed bricks.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch
Pontsteiger Residential Building
© Jeroen Musch

The chameleonic tones of green and bronze create a façade that changes with the light and time of day, just like the surface of the water surrounding the building.

All exterior ceilings are clad in timber, lending the building a warm atmosphere while referring to the locations history of timber docks.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

The pavilions accommodate lobbies, restaurants, bars and cafes.

The glazed pavilions around the plaza have sensuous curves and are constructed with sturdy timber window frames.

Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode


Pontsteiger Residential Building
Parking Garage Plan
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Ground Floor Plan
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Fifth Floor Plan
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Fifteenth Floor Plan
Pontsteiger Residential Building
18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Floor Plans
Pontsteiger Residential Building
22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th Floor Plans
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Parking Garage Plans
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Parking Garage Plan
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Typical Plans
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Typical Plans
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Site Plan
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Diagram


Pontsteiger Residential Building
Section
Pontsteiger Residential Building
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Pontsteiger Residential Building
Elevation
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Elevation
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Elevation
Pontsteiger Residential Building
Elevation

Arons and Gelauff
T +31 20 4235530
Arons and Gelauff
Gedempt Hamerkanaal 92, 1021 KR Amsterdam, Netherlands