It was a fantastic start to the new year! The Schetsblok, or Sketchpad, is one of the projects nominated for the prestigious European Mies van der Rohe Award 2022. It had already been awarded the BNA architecture award in the Private Living Experience 2019 category.
The Schetsblok
The Schetsblok is a small-scale residential building with 29 apartments on the Westlandgracht. When the municipality of Amsterdam designated the Westlandgracht as a Collective Private Commissioning project, this created a unique opportunity. Shared development within the context of Collective Private Commissioning means huge opportunities for purchasers. The residents were given every opportunity to express their ideas during the design and development phases. They were the focus. This innovative and consumer-oriented approach appeals to us hugely and has also turned out to be successful.
The interaction which resulted from this co-creation resulted in an inspiring residential building. It is also a valuable building with homes and communal spaces which link up seamlessly with the wishes of residents. Co-creation between residents and professionals requires a tailor-made approach. In that respect, no two projects are the same. SchetsBlok Westlandgracht involved a collaboration between us, stichting 4Winden and ANA architecten, with 4Winden representing the interests of the residents and ANA architecten taking responsibility for the design.
EU Mies Award
De Mies van der Rohe Award is the ultimate European award for modern architecture. The award is intended to promote and understand the importance of quality and reflect the complexity of the internal meaning of architecture in terms of technological, constructive, social, economical, cultural and aesthetic performance.
The meaning of architecture has a social impact and is a way of communicating the cultural message. Quality therefore relates to universal values of generic buildings, independent of their programmes, with the essence of things replacing their formal values.
