The master plan for IJDock designed by Dick van Gameren in association with Bjarne Mastenbroek, whilst working at De Architectengroep, comprises a complex of buildings constructed on a reclaimed site in Amsterdam’s IJ harbour.
Accommodating diverse functions for living, working and leisure, IJDock adds dynamism and a sense of liveliness to the inner city of Amsterdam. The complex connects with the surrounding urban fabric through an interplay of voids and sightlines that make this urban island a hybrid of unity and multiplicity.
Some 89,000 m2 in size, IJDock is carved from one entire block. Measuring 80 x 160 metres x 44 metres, IJDock accommodates twice the volume of functions specified in the brief. In this way, half of the building could be used for voluminous, defining voids.
A series of five incisions connects the individual buildings and intermediate public spaces with the city, thus establishing a link between the majestic harbour and the small-scale historic city centre.
Within the master plan, each of the functions has its own structure and architectural expression. The larger starting points for the design were the existing building volumes, horizontal articulation, transparent white outer facade and expressive inner facade.
Thanks to its location, IJDock is easily accessible, and the Court of Justice faces Amsterdam Central Station. The substructure consists of an enclosed box with a service floor for the hotel and National Police Services Agency and two storeys of underground car parking. All the buildings are identical in height to stabilise and balance the whole complex.