Energy efficiency is the main crucial feature that made Patch22 - residential project in Amsterdam curated by FRANTZEN et al Architecten - winner of several awards, because it is symbol of sustainable housing
Winner of the WAN Awards 2017 and the Green Award, awarded with the second prize both for the Amsterdam Zuiderkerk Award and the ARC2016 innovation award, the complex built on an area of 5400 square meters and 30m high is currently the tallest building in the Netherlands made entirely of wood: not only the outer paneling is made of wood but also the supporting structure of which columns, beams and walls remain exposed in the interior of each apartment.
All the measures of wooden areas have been amplified to overcome the risk of fire, thus showing an innovative design concept. Therefore, the outer part - designed specifically to carbonize up to 120 minutes - protects the inner one in order to stem the possible damage.
Flexibility is another strong point of Patch22, particularly noticeable in the layout of the apartments, versatile and customizable also in the plant design. Moreover, the height of the ceilings - respectively 3.5 m high – does not only result in an airy comfortably living environment, but it is also a forward-looking asset for different uses in the future.
The optimization of the dialogue between interiors and exteriors is clear here: the lodges - separated by glass walls - maintain a perfect moderate temperature to include small relaxation areas with bath or gardens in winter and stands as annexes of the indoor surface area.
However, sustainability remains the skyscraper’s keystone: this is a feature that allowed the opening of the construction site in 2009, thanks to the winning of the Sustainability Tender Amsterdam Buiksloterham. A zero-energy building was the result: it is self-sustaining thanks to its high-performance systems, distinguishing the building 2.0, such as solar panels installed on the roof and heating with pellet stoves.
Similarly, the practice Lemniskade Projects – founded by the same Tom Frantzen together with the building-manager Claus Oussorenf – has recently acquired the building adjacent to Patch22 to give life to Top-Up, another wooden building, 30m high and erected from a pre-existing concrete base.
*Credits
Location: Johan van Hasseltkade 202-306, 1032 LP Amsterdam
Design: 2009-2014
Completed: 2016
Architects: FRANTZEN et al, Amsterdam, project team: Tom Frantzen, Karel van Eijken, Laura Reinders
Client: Lemniskade Projects, Amsterdam (Tom Frantzen and Claus Oussoren)
budget: €6,400,000
Area: 5,400 m2
Photo credits: Luuk Kramer