[by Irma Heuven]
The newest gem in Amsterdam; Q Residences
Amsterdam is one landmark richer. On Monday 12 December, Buitenveldert, built as a garden city, saw the opening of an architecturally daring but carefully embedded urban apartment complex: Q Residences.
This complex, which covers an area of 27,600 m2 and has 248 rental apartments, consists of a plaza and two residential buildings: the medium-rise Qube and the tall, elegant Quartz. Of the 248 homes, 99 were built for the middle segment. For this project developer, Kroonenberg Groep hired the American star architect Jeanne Gang.
Lesley Bamberger, CEO of Kroonenberg Groep: “Quartz has such an iconic appearance, you can’t pass by without looking back. I always do that with a smile and a feeling of pride. Together we have added a unique part of Amsterdam, which has an impact on the entire environment.”
Unveiling sculpture Dutch designers Studio Job
On the beautiful plaza, designed and planted by Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf, Reinier van Dantzig, alderman for Housing and Urban Development, together with Jeanne Gang and Lesley Bamberger,
unveiled the creation of Studio Job: a man-sized sculpture in which the Q logo is reflected.
Amsterdam is proud of this new gem in the city. Architect Jeanne Gang: “The design of Q Residences creates a connection between the residents themselves and with the greenery that defines Buitenveldert. On the ground floor, Qube and Quartz form a new, spacious public space that brings people together around art and landscape. the surface of the facade is larger and because the balconies are staggered, neighbors have visible contact with each other. Residents must feel good, in their home and their environment.”
Job Smeets of Studio Job: “The cast bronze sculpture of a woman’s hand holding the illuminated letter Q is five meters high. The artwork, called ‘Hers’, represents the creativity of the female architect. It is a statement to passers-by about women who are not only connected to this building, but also to important positions in the modern world.”
Sustainability
Sustainability served a dual purpose in the construction of Q Residences. First and foremost, the project had to comply with Amsterdam’s ambitious sustainability programme. A second goal was to build on the garden city concept that Cornelis van Eesteren envisioned in his General Expansion Plan for Buitenveldert in 1935. The buildings are grouped around a green and publicly accessible plaza. There are solar panels on the roofs that provide power to the charging stations for electric cars. Both residential towers are carefully insulated and both have integrated heating and cooling systems.
Buitenveldertselaan 80
1082 km Amsterdam
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