Residential sculpture
The block of 33 apartments for the owner-occupied sector comes across as a work of sculpture, without a specific front or back. Seen from one direction, the building seems to consist entirely of masonry without windows. Seen from the waterside, however, it seems built entirely of glass. The building sinks halfway into the ground, which slopes down towards the water, so that the outdoor spaces on the ground floor take the form of ‘conversation pits’. This makes boundary between the private and public domains self-evident, without needing fences to separate them. The ground floor and first floor apartments are accessed from ground level, while the other floors are reached via a gallery on the third floor. Three apartments connect to the gallery in each bay: one upwards, one on the level and one down. A lift is located at one end of the building. The sawtooth plan shape, with its flapping wings, creates a quiet end of the building (the water-facing end is exposed to noise) and ensures complete privacy for the individual apartments.