Jonas, IJburg

At the harbour of Amsterdam IJburg you’ll find Jonas: a building with 190 medium-priced rental homes, 83 owner-occupied homes and a range of supporting facilities. Jonas is well fitted and integrated into its surroundings and has a green and sustainable character. It’s a building with an innovative housing concept and spectacular spatial interior that received the highest possible sustainability certificate: BREEAM Outstanding. Together with its surroundings, Jonas forms a ‘living landcape’. At the front of the building the public forecourt is bordered by a timber pavilion, with a roof stepping up from the square, which act as a three-dimensional playground. The pavilion also marks the entrance to the car park and serves as a tribune for all kinds of activities, such as film screenings and other events. An inviting environment where locals and residents enjoy the sun, while children cross the water with a raft. The building with its irregular openings creates the impression that the windows are gently undulating across the facade. That makes Jonas a bit different. The building is not covered in stone but faced in dark, pre-patinated zinc. The facade does not touch the ground but is lifted off it. The volume is not rectangular but diamond-shaped. That makes it both familiar and alienating, rational yet sculptural, recognizable yet innovative. But the real surprise of Jonas awaits inside. The interior expresses a modern and sustainable community life. The spatial concept is based on the way traditional wooden ships are constructed: a skeleton consisting of a series of trusses arranged in a row, which form the main structure. This allows large hollows to be carved out of the volume, and the required housing programme is contained within the ‘skin’ of the building. In addition to providing a future-proof energy supply and conscious use of materials, the BREEAM Outstanding level is determined and confirmed by the social sustainability of Jonas and the spatial perception of it. The landscape is not limited to the outside of the building, but penetrates to the furthest corners of Jonas. A public route extends through the building, linking together the public and collective programme, including the living room, the cinema, the canyon, the mountain path, the forest patio and the rooftop beach and bar. The commercial facilities in the plinth, all supporting the concept and bigger picture of Jonas, ensure a dynamic ground floor and quay. The residential concept of Jonas is supported by a community manager, who is close to the residents and can be consulted for matters like booking the guestrooms, the yoga studio or a shared car. Everything in Jonas is geared to stimulating social interaction and encounters to ensure the building becoming a focal point for activities and act as a catalyst for the neighbourhood. Jonas demonstrates that besides technical sustainability, biodiversity and community building are important principles, which are perhaps of the greatest importance for the success of the building and its surroundings.