Residential building with amenities Rhapsody in West, Amsterdam
Rhapsody in West is a residential complex situated next to a busy highway. It is built in an area that not so long ago was named as one of the worst in the Netherlands, with a high volume of low quality social housing. Fears of gentrification could be averted by involving local residents in the process at an early stage. The result is an energy-neutral building cluster with different amenities that are available to all. The process has been a catalyst for the regeneration of the entire area.
Local
Netherlands
Amsterdam West, Kolenkit neighbourhood
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-12-18
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Tangram Architekten, Urban Sync, CBRE Global Investors Type of organisation: Commercial companies First name of representative: Bart Last name of representative: Mispelblom Beyer Gender: Male Nationality: Netherlands Function: Architect Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Pedro de Medinalaan 3b Town: Amsterdam Postal code: 1086 XK Country: Netherlands Direct Tel:+31 20 676 1755 E-mail:info@tangramarchitekten.nl Website:http://www.tangramarchitekten.nl
Name of the organisation(s): Urban Sync Type of organisation: Commercial company First name of representative: Ben Last name of representative: Van de Ven Gender: Male Nationality: Netherlands Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Langegracht 70 Town: Leiden Postal code: 2312 NV Country: Netherlands Direct Tel:+31 71 207 0073 E-mail:Info@urbansync.nl Website:https://urbansync.nl
Name of the organisation(s): CBRE Global Investors Type of organisation: Investment company First name of representative: Frank Last name of representative: Aalbers Gender: Male Nationality: Netherlands Function: Head of Asset Management Residential Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Schiphol Boulevard 281 Town: Schiphol Postal code: 1118ZR Country: Netherlands Direct Tel:+31 20 202 2414 E-mail:frank.aalbers@cbreim.com Website:https://www.cbre.nl/
With a sky-high ambition, Tangram Architects and Urban Sync Concept Development set out to bid for a tender for a residential complex in the local borough of Amsterdam West, right next to Amsterdam’s busy orbital highway. The plot was in the ‘Kolenkit’ multi-ethnical working-class neighbourhood that not so long ago was named one of the most deprived areas in the Netherlands, with a high volume of aged social housing. For this tender, the council chose not to go for the highest bid but for the quality of the plan instead, with a focus on sustainability and added value for the neighbourhood. By initiative of the design team, neighbourhood residents led by art collective Cascoland participated in the process from early on. Uniquely, builders-developers Smits and De Nijs, investor CBRE Global Investors and the local council also took an active role, by facilitating the process in practical terms, and arranging funding for additional functions. This is what we called the ‘joint dance’. The result is Rhapsody in West, an energy-neutral residential complex with amenities that are available for everyone. It is made up of a group of distinctive buildings with 239 apartments on top of a parking garage, as required by the council, with a deck that allows for water retention and greenery. 400 square meters of additional amenities include a community greenhouse, a guest house for residents and a café with a living room where residents can eat, drink, work and follow courses. There are shared electric cars and bicycles managed by ‘local heroes’. Five community managers organise activities and look after the amenities. The participative process has been a catalyst to jumpstart the regeneration of the entire area, and as a result the Kolenkit neighbourhood has become a much more popular place to live. This proves that listening to each other from the very beginning until the end does not have to be detrimental to the quality of the design, but can yield the most beautiful results.
Healthy urban living
Neighbourhood transition
Social inclusion
Stakeholder participation
Ecology and energy frontrunner
The project was developed following the triple bottom line of social, physical and economic sustainability. Socially the project has included neighbourhood residents in the development process, which has helped to adjust the project to their needs, and enhance social cohesion in the area.
Economically the project offers value for money and also generates jobs on-site. Five community managers take care of the overall living quality and organize activities. By doing so they strengthen contacts between residents and the neighbourhood. Cooks regularly work in the greenhouse where local vegetables are grown and sold, and language education takes place as well. Professional musicians also teach locals in the Maqam studio space.
Physically the project is flexible in design and programme and adaptable in the future, with apartments ranging from 50 to 110 square meters or even larger. This considers the needs of future residents as the project retains its value. Also noteworthy is the extremely good energy performance. The entire complex is an ‘energy factory’ with a negative footprint, meaning that residents supply energy to the public grid. This is due to the compact design and other measures, including photovoltaics on the building roofs.
There are solutions for many challenges. In terms of ‘hardware’ there are water management, energy conservation and the mitigation of pollution, noise and heat. In term of ‘software’ there are community building, social mobility and leisure. They combine a high density building with an ecology-friendly courtyard, with trees, bushes and water ponds.
The main distinction of the building as a development project is the holistic approach towards what is currently one of our biggest challenges, which is to densify our cities. This is necessary to meet our increasing housing demands, make optimal use of existing infrastructure, safeguard rural land for nature or agriculture, and improve quality of life in the city all at the same time.
The team did not present a detailed design in response to the tender, but it did have strong views about how the project could benefit future residents and the neighbourhood. There was a lot going on in the Kolenkit neighbourhood at the time. After years of stagnation due to the crisis, housing corporations had just started with the much-needed regeneration of their existing properties. But up until then little had come of the promised addition of diversified housing. The intention of this tender was to relaunch this ambition.
The project stands out, but also fits in. The rounded buildings and striking white façades make for a strong aesthetic that contrasts with the surrounding aging post-war buildings. These distinctive features turn the building into a point of reference in the neighbourhood. The colour and shapes create a strong sense of place and give a feeling of entering a different world. The objective was to create a pleasant, inclusive space and the result is spectacular: the courtyard garden is a green, quiet place that feels like an ‘urban oasis’. The generous glass balconies encourage residents to engage with people in the elevated garden and at street level. Due to the building layout there are always ‘eyes on the street’, which makes for a space that feels safe and familiar.
At the same time the building fits in. The warm red brick of the pedestal reflects that of the nearby ‘Kolenkit’ church, and the white concrete horizontal lines respond to the neighbouring housing blocks. The cascading stairways come down from the garden to street level in a sweeping gesture. The meandering boundary of the urban block is the result of an exchange of land that was negotiated with the council. The result is a landscaped area that invites passers-by to use the space. Three plateaus on different levels house a greenhouse, a terrace and an amphitheatre. On all levels this elevated space is connected to surrounding city street levels.
The design team started consulting with neighbourhood residents right from the start. The vacant space, despite its poor quality next to the busy orbital highway, was the only available public space for neighbourhood residents at the time, which was all the more reason to get them involved. Taking away public space was no option and therefore a replacement was a must.
The process resulted in many additional amenities that had not been part of the original brief. As a result the elevated garden and community greenhouse are now available for public events. The vegetables that are grown in the greenhouse are available for sale to the residents. The greenhouse is programmed by five community managers that also take care of overall living quality. They strengthen the contacts between building residents and the surrounding neighbourhood.
The participation process has been a catalyst for community building. Residents, developer, investor and council were all actively involved in shaping the project in a process referred to as ‘the joint dance’. An additional benefit of working together was that all stakeholders got to know each other. Because of this it was possible to respond quickly and adequately to any problems that occurred or opportunities that arose. To be known is to be loved, which makes for a better sense of well-being in the neighbourhood.
There is a community space to learn languages and for evening courses, and music studio Maqam offers anyone interested the healing and social experience of making music. With all these facilities, Rhapsody is a buzzing centre of activity. It serves as an anchor for the ‘Kolenkit’ neighbourhood and is considered an important incentive for the rehabilitation and elevation of the entire area. The value created by the project also has an economical yield: the project doubled its value within the first few years of use.
Residents of the multi-ethnic ‘Kolenkit’ neighbourhood have successfully participated in the development process. Prior to development, the building site was used by local residents as a playing field and meeting space. To include residents in the development was therefore crucial for the success of the project. All stakeholders engaged in conversations at an early stage, with local art collective ‘Cascoland’ as mediator. Later the investor, contractor and council also got involved in a ‘joint dance’ that led towards a transition beneficial to all.
The result is a set of friendly and open housing blocks around a raised public courtyard with public amenities with the look and feel of an ‘urban oasis’. Many ‘Amsterdammers’ of different backgrounds now live here to their great satisfaction. A meeting place called ‘the anchorage’, a greenhouse as substitute for the former meeting space that has been in use during the entire process, has now landed in the middle of the public garden as a place for leisure and cultural and educational activities.
The backbone of the project blocks the noise and view of the orbital highway and residual noise is blocked from the garden by the rounded façades. Greenery growing up the facades absorbs fine particles and so improves air quality. Air and noise quality have substantially improved, not only in the block itself, but in the direct vicinity as well.
The space is programmed by community managers who live in the complex. They cultivate contacts between residents of the building and the neighbourhood. They also manage the public garden, organize activities for local residents and continue to ensure the quality of living. This results in a measurable improvement of the social quality of the neighbourhood, in reduced crime rates for example. The project has also created jobs on-site. Except for the community managers there is a regular involvement of cooks, teachers and musicians.
The project is the result of a tender that was issued by the local borough council of Amsterdam West. In judging the entries, the council opted for a visionary approach. It did not give preference to the highest bid, but to the quality of the plan instead. The main focus was on sustainability and the added value for the neighborhood as a whole.
At the initiative of Tangram and Urban Sync a participatory team was formed with all stakeholders on the basis of equality: local residents and entrepreneurs (led and organized by local artist collective ‘Cascoland’), professional builders-developers Smits and De Nijs, the local borough council and the design team.
Most participation meetings were scheduled in the evenings to enable representatives of residents and entrepreneurs to join in. The roles were clearly and openly defined from the start. The group agreed that design is a professional activity that requires knowledge and experience on all levels. Local residents on the other hand knew their neighbourhood and were able to give input that was essential to adjust the original programmed functions.
As result of these meetings many public amenities were added, for the benefit for the residents and for non-commercial use: the public garden, a greenhouse (Kolenkitkas) and a guesthouse for family and friends of residents. Other facilities were a music education centre (Maqam) and a coffee corner with workplaces. Five community managers living on reduced rent would organise activities and maintain social coherence within the development and in the neighbourhood.
Working closely with the local council, the design team was able to exchange private with public land. This allowed for a more gradual transition between the street and the public garden, rather than having a hard and straight boundary to the block. In summary the local residents capitulated the muddy meeting place to receive many high quality public amenities in return: a true win-win situation.
In response to the tender issued by the borough council of Amsterdam West, a team consisting of Tangram Architecture and Urban Landscape, Urban Sync ‘city producers’, artists collective ‘Cascoland’ and CBRE Global Investors collaborated in a bid that focused on involving local residents to define the design brief and develop a fitting design.
During the project, all stakeholders engaged in a participatory process that was referred to as a ‘joint dance’. Urban Sync organised the meetings and Tangram developed the design in collaboration with a design team consisting of engineers for structures, building services, acoustics, building physics, fire, energy management, urban ecology and stormwater management. Gardening professionals were also involved.
Investor CBRE also took an active role by facilitating the process and responding to the requirements. The team also collaborated with the city council to carefully manage the interaction of the developing design with the surrounding area. Meanwhile, Cascoland mediated with local residents and businesses to keep them up to date on progress. Later, a joint venture of builders-developers Smits and De Nijs was commissioned to build the project.
Even during construction the local community remained involved. There were regular meetings with the contractors on progress and to discuss ongoing issues. As a result, any legal procedures by residents to obstruct construction, which is common in the Netherlands, could be prevented. Some neighbourhood residents even worked voluntary on-site during construction by providing coffee and soup, as they regarded the Rhapsody project as their project.
The project has attracted praise from Dutch national media outlets and won the ‘SKG Award for Sustainable Development’ from Delft University of Technology. The jury said: “To develop such a comprehensive social project with the involvement of private funding during a period of financial crisis is an example of courageous entrepreneurship … The result is a unique mix of sustainable solutions and social inclusion that is exemplary for densification challenges in other cities”. The project also won the Amsterdam Architecture Prize (AAP). The jury said: “A wonderful example of openness and connection with the neighbourhood, both architecturally and socially”.
The project was nominated for the Dutch Architects Association Building of the Year, De Architect magazine ‘Architecture yearbook 2021 with 20 best projects of the year in the Netherlands’, the Amsterdam Zuiderkerkprijs, the Cities in Movement Award (STIB Award) and Residential Building of the Year. It is published in many international publications like ArchDaily for example. The project was subject of a research project in 2022 by the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in collaboration with students of the Universities of Wageningen and Delft, and was noted an exemplary environment for healthy urban living.
The main innovation is the holistic approach towards urban development: adding housing and other functions within the existing city limits – whilst also improving the quality of urban life. This requires solutions that benefit everyone involved: local residents and entrepreneurs, investors, developers and future residents. The project shows that with the right approach it is possible to develop what used to be considered impossible sites with high quality, aesthetically pleasing solutions that respond to local needs and have healthy revenues as well.
Another innovation is the involvement of the existing community in defining the brief, and keep them involved during the entire process. In the case of Rhapsody in West, the public was involved from the very beginning. Except for contributing to the project brief, they interacted with the architect on the design and spoke with the builder about progress. This process was the first example of a participatory process that now is becoming more common in the Netherlands.
Yet another innovation is the way the project transformed environmental constraints into architectural qualities. Height differences across the site are negotiated with a platform that holds parking, storage and a rainwater retention system. It serves as a pedestal for the buildings and as a base for the public garden. Two ‘high back’ buildings block the noise of the highway and any residual noise is deflected by the rounded shapes of the blocks, or absorbed by facades and greenery. There are no parallel surfaces, so sound does not reverberate.
Rhapsody was at the time of completion ‘The most energy efficient building in the Netherlands’, with an energy consumption ratio (EPC) of minus 0,15 – indicating a net energy delivery to the grid, even after deducting energy use of the residents. This is partly due to the compactness of the building (floor space index = 4) and the many active energetical measures taken, like the solar panels on the roofs.
In a sense the development process of this project was placed upside down, because the initiative and approach to the tender was taken by architect Tangram Architects and Urban Landscape and ‘City Producer’ Urban Sync. Together they approached the builders-developers joint venture Smits and De Nijs, investor CBRE Global Investors and local artists collective Cascoland.
Cascoland already had many contacts in the area and a good understanding of the requirements of neighbourhood residents. What followed were a series of meetings with local residents in a greenhouse that was built under a nearby viaduct. Some people feared that the greenhouse would be vandalised, but this never actually happened and it remained a meeting space for the remainder of the development process.
Once construction started, the participation group continued to have meetings with the contractor on site, to discuss progress and concerns. Now the project is finished, the greenhouse has found a permanent place in the central garden of the complex as a permanent meeting space. During the process it has become a symbol of assembly and connection. Five community managers look after maintaining the space, and organise activities for building and neighbourhood residents.
Because of this, the process of community building that started with the development process will continue into the future. The development and design team will continue to be involved at monitoring the functioning of the project in all of its facets. One of the outcomes is the newly integrated music centre (Maqam) for the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra after completion, which works in close collaboration with community managers, owner CBRE Global Investors, the local borough council and ‘De Meervaart’ theatre nearby.
The development process can be considered as exemplary for complex high quality urban densification. This project is an example of how development in a complex social and urban environment does not have to lead to gentrification at the detriment of the local community. It shows how a well-managed participatory process can lead to a better result and an improvement to the social cohesion of the local community. It can result in price-winning urban and architectural design with the best ecological and energetical performance at the same time. The methodology is replicable at any place – and will, when carried out with diligence, always lead to a solution in tune with the local neighbourhood requirements and the local urban context.
Many of the physical programmatic elements integrated in the Rhapsody design can be generalized for future urban development, like the integration of green and water on a substantial scale, the introduction of common spaces within housing programmes, local urban farming on block and neighbourhood scale, compact design for a good facade and floor ratio that results in less energy loss, flexible floor and building services concepts that allow for programmatic changes in the future, and active energy production on building scale (solar panels in the façade and on the roofs). The project can be considered as statement against the sceptical view that development of a former ‘brownfield site’ will inevitably lead to low quality housing solutions. The contrary is true: sites like these can be transformed into a beloved and wanted places to live.
Rhapsody in West addresses the following global challenges:
Densification within existing city limits – The global population is expanding rapidly, and mother nature is running out of resources. Developable land is scarce and required for other purposes than construction alone, such as forestry for carbon storage and construction materials for example, as well as wind and solar energy, agriculture, nature and wildlife. The project proves that it is possible to use constrained brownfield sites to further densify cities whilst avoiding gentrification, and provide affordable housing of high quality.
Energy consumption – the compact building form, low-tech energy solutions and additional measures result in a self-sufficient building with a negative energy footprint that feeds energy back into the grid, an essential feature for the future of construction.
Healthy urban living – building at higher densities within the city limits could potentially mean that residents would have to live in an environment that is physically and psychologically challenging. The architecture of Rhapsody in West however mitigates any potentially damaging influences, and the integration of green and water in the plan prove that healthy living is possible even in a constrained environment.
Social cohesion – an inclusive and participatory process during development and after completion has helped to strengthen the local community, resulting in happy residents (see report Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM). The expectation is that this will result in lower crime rates, lower leave of absence figures due to illness, and less police interventions in the neighbourhood.
