The Polderweg is wedged between the elbow of the Muiderpoort station and the Ringvaart and has a strategic position in relation to the ring of Amsterdam canals and the main expressway. It is an ideal location for housing development. The consequence is that this (former) industrial reservation has fallen prey to the ‘civilised world’. ‘Sandwich City’ triumphs over a paradox. It offers an urban structure to the non-structured qualities of the periphery. The plan looks for a method for a design which affords space for individual detailing within a framework lacking in hierarchy. Sandwich City is a plan for a differentiated neighbourhood which is neither suburban nor urban.
organisation
An unequivocal urban development structure ensures that the openness of the plan remains controllable. The freedom and flexibility which are characteristic of the area at present are safeguarded.
Sandwich City comprises a number of autonomous elements which gain added value thanks to their inclusion in a collection. The area is built up of fifteen horizontally organised strips of 12 metres high and 12.6 metres deep. Each strip has its own very outspoken ‘identity’ and is characterised by one unique type of housing or function. The types and functions have been interpreted in the facades, the strips fold naturally around the existing buildings to be retained and the specific ground floor details.
tectonics
The blocks are industrial in nature, as a reference to the history of this area. They are sculptural blocks without any real front and back, the strips are accessible on all sides. A collection of houses/workshops is available from which a choice can be made. The choice of house means choosing a specific strip. And so a group of people with comparable residential needs will automatically select the same strip. Their individual choices result in a common interest per strip, a neighbourhood in the length as it were. The ground level is designed as a continuous surface area, emphasising the isolated location of the site and forming a cohesive whole in the individual urban development structure.
