High-density housing areas can negatively affect the quality of life of urban residents and create stronger social disparities. The Borneo Sporenburg residential area is a set of distinctive individual houses and apartment blocks that work as a unified whole.

Project
Borneo Sporenburg

City
Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Challenge
High-density housing areas can negatively affect the quality of life of urban residents and create stronger social disparities.

Solution
A masterplan composed of distinctive individual houses and apartment blocks that work as a unified whole and are family-friendly.

The Borneo Sporenburg residential area in the Eastern docklands of Amsterdam is one of the most original and successful housing initiatives that was commissioned by a city and financed by a national government. Between 1996 and 2000, the two peninsulas surrounded by harbour landscapes and canals were transformed into a high-density area filled with 2500 dwellings inspired by Dutch architectural heritage and small village streets.

The architectural firm West 8 was chosen to draw a strict masterplan on which would fit a large number of individual homes and a few apartment blocks. Over 100 local and international architects were involved in the design of the housing units; the result reflects a sense of local character and also fulfills modern household’s demands such as private outdoor space and parking garage.

Borneo Sporenburg is the first experiment of its kind in the Netherlands. It offers compact housing and narrow streets that provide a sense of safety for children and families. Some houses facing canals have waterfront access, and several bridges accommodate pedestrian and cycle traffic. A school and a house for senior citizens have been integrated to the area, while 30% of the dwellings are subsidized social housing.

This model shows that social trends that are predominant in dense urban environments such as high/low income disparities, childless couples, and the lack of community life, can be reversed through the application of intelligent design guidelines and a customized approach to urban living that is culturally relevant.

Designer
Master plan – West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture

Client
City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Image copyright
West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture

For more information
www.west8.nl