2021

Sluisbuurt Next Level

Amsterdam, NL

"Let's take smart and sustainable construction and living to the next level."


Next Level in the Sluisbuurt is a new step in the integral combination of living, working, recreation, shopping, relaxation, meeting, entrepreneurship and sustainability. Our ambition is to bring healthy, urban living in all its facets indoors. A new way of living and working. Far-reaching differentiation and shared spaces are integrated with lush greenery. A green ribbon that winds through the entire building and invites you to exercise, eat healthy and live a vital life.


Next Level is more than a building, a city within a building.

Vertical city

Next Level offers a multifunctional program throughout the building, with which we create a lively environment at all levels. With homes, live/work houses, co-working spaces, a market hall as a special supermarket, roof gardens and atriums with different landscapes, shared spaces for sports and being together, and a mobility service. All functions are connected via the market hall, the atriium and wide open staircases. A clear vertical city.
The tower looks slender and takes on a vertical appearance through the introduction of the atrium, as an outdoor space in the towers. The rotation of the atrium provides versatility and different interactions, from the building to the city and vice versa. Due to this rotation and the distinctive and expressive design, the atrium is clearly recognizable from far and up close and from all sides. This also creates a layering between plinth, intermediate layer and top, with an orientation towards the street, the neighborhood and the city.

A building that always seemed to be there

It is pioneering in the Sluisbuurt. A new, unused area for which the municipality has set high ambitions. The water square is the central place in the neighbourhood. Four main routes meet here. From this busy, public square, Next Level manifests itself as one inviting, cohesive whole. A building with a strong, individual identity. Tough, yet elegant. Urban, yet green. Robust, yet friendly and inviting. A building that always seemed to be there. And still last at least another 100 years, changing with the time and therefore timeless. A recognizable building for this specific location, which enriches the skyline as well as life on the street.

A cohesive, urban ensemble

The powerful volume shows an interplay of parts that are closely connected. The expression of the building is determined by the stacking of volumes, the characteristic facades and the consistent use of a modest palette of materials. The large volume is optimally nuanced by the division into different construction volumes or granules that connect to the different sides. These volumes can be read as substructure, intermediate layer and tower, but form a unit because the volumes are related to each other. Coherence is created by the vertical articulation and because the facade principles have great similarities and subtle differences. The clearly vertical facade structure with strongly applied corners increases the legibility of the volumes and ensures a rich layering. And for rhythm in the facade: a sleek facade of columns and beams with different depths, consisting of circular ceramic tiles for the plinth and polished architectural bio-concrete for the tower, with warm wooden infills. An exciting interplay in the construction.

We don't just build a building, we build a micro city within a building. The architecture, the abundance of greenery, the sustainable choices ... everything leads to a building where you meet each other as if on the street. Where you can enjoy flowers as in the park around the corner, where you run your laps like at your sports club, where you drink coffee together as in the neighborhood cafe. Where you work together as in a multi-company building and where you live. Next Level is a vertical neighborhood community, where everything is connected.

The coherence between the programs is established organically through the choices we make. The articulation leads to many different, special indoor and outdoor spaces, the playful staircase makes various layers easily accessible and stimulates movement. The green ribbon offers fresh air and facilitates a healthy lifestyle. The many meeting places, social and business, make connections between people possible. People are literally on the move, climbing stairs, running, gardening. But also figuratively: they get to know new people, gain new knowledge, make healthy food choices easier and enter into new partnerships. In Next Level everything is in motion.

Next Level offers living space to many different people. Starters who take their first step on the housing market, singles, couples, small families, large families, people who work at home or want a practice or studio at home, friends who want to live together, from young to old. Next Level offers that living space for all these tastes. With living in the basement, on the green roof park, in a nice and compact studio or in a beautiful apartment. You step out of your door into a fresh, green world.
We can create many different housing typologies because we build according to the Open Building principle. Carrier and built-in systems are disconnected from each other and built-in walls and facades are detachable. This makes flexible floor plans possible. And as a result, we can create many forms of living for a healthy, mixed, heterogeneous community with people from all ages at all stages of life.


Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stage: Competition
Function: Residential / Multi
Program: Sales apartment, retail and offices
Gross Floor Area: 18,165 m2
Date: 2021
Design team: Maikel Super, Veronica Della Ventura, Danai Tamiolaki, Yvonne Yuen Tsz Wai
Structural engineer advisor: Arup
Landscape architect: Makers of Sustainable spaces
Concept developer: Tenderboost
Visualisations: Beauty & the bit