'House Like Village' by Marc Koehler Architects, Amsterdam

The KNSM Island in Amsterdam is an interesting mix of leftover dockland industrial units

(Image credit: Photography: Marcel van der Burg)

last updated 26 October 2022

The KNSM Island in Amsterdam is an interesting mix of leftover dockland industrial units, and redeveloped and repurposed buildings, all orientated around a late 1980s masterplan by local architect Jo Coenen. One of these preserved buildings is an old canteen, which has since been transformed into a number of individual housing units

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House Like Village by Marc Koehler Architects — Marc Koehler architects' 'House Like Village' project attempts to capture the zeitgeist of the island by imagining the residential space as a set of many microcosms

Cube shaped volumes within the main residential unit — These have been manifested in the design as smaller 'clusters', cube shaped volumes within the main residential unit

Storage spaces are hidden in the same style behind white painted or wooden doors

A room with ladder with storage space — Koehler worked closely with the clients (a young couple with one new-born) and established a design that can be easily extended if needed by way of additional volumes

A fireplace helps to heat the main living areas

Living room with L shaped sofa and white walls — The vast interior is blessed with outstanding views of the harbour and abundant natural light, thanks to two completely glazed facades

A kitchen, study and dining area above are all playfully connected by bridges — The cubes - supporting a kitchen, study and dining area above - are all playfully connected by bridges

A panel slides away to reveal storage space

Children's bedroom on the lower level — One of the cubes contains a child's bedroom on the lower level

Kitchen with upper level — A clean-lined kitchen on the upper level

Dining area with table and chairs — The dining area

Study area at upper level of the house — Atop another of the cubes is a study

Walkway with lighting — Industrial-style lighting illuminates the walkway

Bedroom with bedside table — One of the bedrooms

The contrast between the existing and exposed roof structure — The contrast between the existing, exposed roof structure and the experimental layout reflects the island's evolution and heritage

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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