The competition required a proposal for a vertical city for families, in the tradition of
the
Unité
d'Habitation
by
Le Corbusier, but revisited according to contemporary necessities.
Families that want to escape huge, gloomy an unfriendly housing blocks have normally two
alternatives: moving to a peripheral area with very low density, far from any facilities offered by
the city, or to a small and expensive apartment in the city centre, where all functions are close
by, but the levels of intimacy and security are a lot lower.
We believe that it is possible to find a solution in the form of a vertical city that can recreate the
qualities of a city and the intimacy and security of a small, low density neighbourhood.
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Dividing vertically the long (130 m) block of the Unite d'Habitation it is possible to create more
intimate units. Each of these units has a lower part completely designed for public functions
and a residential crown of apartments with a large garden that separates the two wings of
apartments and to which only residents have access: a sort of a raised "hofje".
The repetition of these units will create a "
V
erticale
S
tad
S
ystem
" that will preserve the intimacy
and the safety of the "hofje" and, at the same time, will be able to create a dynamic
interaction with the surrounding city.
The composition and lay-out of the functions in the lower parts enables a differential use of the
buildings during 24 hours.
The different public parts of the individual blocks will be connected by horizontal structures that
will house leisure and entertainment facilities.
The large "hofje" inside the crown of each block will be covered by a glass surface, creating a
space where children (and others) can spend their time in a secure environment. The large
glass roof will act also as a winter garden limiting heat loss. The main target of the apartments
around the "hofje" are families with children. To increase the number of apartments, a tower
can be placed on each of the two wings, occupying only part of the entire length of the
block, to allow light to enter the indoor "hofje". The main target of the apartments in the towers
will be young couples, singles and young professionals.
The place chosen for the "
VSS
" is Overamstel, an area close to the centre of Amsterdam,
which offers at the same time a beautiful landscape and an intimate atmosphere.
