Self expression at its residential best

In the industrial age people had a choice of either a mass-produced suburban home or a mass-produced apartment. In the knowledge age where individual expression as a community is the norm, these lucky residents in Amsterdam were able to fulfill that notion.

…and lucky is right, for people had to win a lottery for the right to buy one of 60 ‘free parcels’, as in ‘free to design their own building’. As you can see in the image above, it shows, and compared to the rest of the 2500-unit Borneo Sporenburg housing development on the docks, it’s by far the most humane, creative and attractive section in the neighborhood.

At least 30-50% of each dwelling is open space, such as a patio or courtyard at high or low level. Parking is only on the property, none on the street, providing a much more appealing walk or bike ride to and from the city center 15 minutes (by bike) away.

Thank you to Matthew Hardy at INTBAU for the reference.

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neilkt