Amstelveen, Netherlands

uilenstede, amstelveen

student dormitories and services

location Uilenstede is situated to the north of Amstelveen. With 3400 rooms and residences, this is one of the largest student campuses in Europe. Many students who study in Amsterdam find their housing in this complex. Currently DUWO (a student housing), the municipality of Amstelveen and the VU University Amsterdam are undertaking the joint redevelopment of this area. The objectives of the project are: the creation of a lively center that is clearly defined, the improvement of safety for the residents and the achievement of more transparency in the design of outdoor areas. With our design for 724 new student residences in total, we have managed to achieve these goals. Uilenstede will no longer be just a place to ‘live’ but a place to ‘stay’.

meeting place Seven buildings will stand independently in this terrain and together they will form a courtyard. This contributes towards a lively and authentic campus atmosphere. Differences in height, inclines, wide stairways, green spaces, wood planking (from sustainable sources) and lawns create surprising public spaces and an informal atmosphere. A coherent campus is thus created with ample room to meet each other in; room for studying together, for enjoying picnics or a game of Frisbee. The large trees will be spared as much as possible during construction. In this way, the courtyard will have a green and pleasant feeling despite its being a new construction project.

style The buildings vary in height from four to thirteen floors. Some of the residences are not independent units. In these, students will share sanitary facilities and a kitchen in groups of three, a setup similar to those in student dormitories. The remaining units are independent studios and lofts. A clear policy of material selection and use is combined with a variation in the rhythm of the facades. In this way the buildings distinguish themselves without distraction from the general coherence. The brickwork facades are provided with balconies. This improves the living quality and further enhances interaction between the students, which in turn will give life to this campus.

By choosing a rational arrangement of the buildings, a space of visible quality was created. The balcony railings and the patterned panels adjacent to the windows are all specially designed for this project and provide the buildings with style. Through attention to details such as these, the student residences of Uilenstede rise far above the quality of the average student dormitory.

project information address: uilenstede, laan van kronenburg design team: arie van der neut, albert herder, peterine arts, ingrid van der lans, steven broekhof, jolijn valk, jean-marc saurer, monika pieroth architectural engineering: jean-marc saurer client: duwo studentenhuisvesting contractor: van wijnen, alphen a/d rijn design-completion: 2009-2016

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uilenstede, amstelveen