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GG-Loop reinterprets a classic Amsterdam row house with biophilic and maritime nods

Rowing Dutch

GG-Loop reinterprets a classic Amsterdam row house with biophilic and maritime nods

Alluding to the form of a ship, Freebooter’s open louver structure facade is produced using cross-laminated timber. (Francisco Nogueira)

If you’ve ever spent an extended amount of time in the Netherlands, you’ll know that most of its urban and suburban row house blocks follow the same formula: Red brick roads and narrow homes with large street-facing windows and steep stairwells. You’ll know that the country also serves as a hotbed for experimental architecture.

Reduced to rubble in World War II, Rotterdam, in particular, has served as something of a blank urban canvas. Leading architecture firms like OMA and MVDRV have made a name for themselves by creating structures the defy tectonic and aesthetic norms.

Much of the country’s capital Amsterdam is occupied by historical buildings erected from the Dutch Golden Age through to the early 20th-century, when the protomodern Amsterdam School style reigned supreme. However, newly constructed neighborhoods on the city’s edge incorporate a more eclectic range of styles. One such area is the artificial IJburg island built on 0.8 square miles of reclaimed land.

The gridded neighborhood plays host to a range of residential typologies. Some developments reinterpret the classic Amsterdam vernacular with while others employ modernist principles to establish larger-than-normal floorplates.

Breaking the monotony of rectilinear homes is the new Freebooter house by local firm GG-Loop. Making the most of its corner perch, the organic structure curves into place with wrap around porches and an open louver facade that pays homage to nature and The Netherland’s deeply ingrained maritime culture.

Walk through the full house on our interiors and design website, aninteriormag.com.

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