“Juf Nienke” in Amsterdam IJburg offers a well-balanced mix of 61 sustainable rental homes, parking spaces, and a commercial ground floor. Half of the homes are allocated to middle-income teachers, healthcare providers, and police officers. The fully wooden building can proudly claim the title of the most sustainable and circular residential building in the Netherlands. Volantess guided the unique project.

Light, Air & Space
RAU and SeARCH Architects were responsible for the unique and robust architecture of Teacher Nienke. The building has a lively and transparent ground floor, predominantly made of glass and wood. Above it, there is a varied range of homes, from compact studios to spacious family houses. With outdoor spaces attached to the homes, a meeting deck, a large inner garden, and the transparent high ground floor, the building exudes ample light, air, and space.

Nature-Inclusive
Teacher Nienke embraces a nature-inclusive approach to the building and outdoor spaces, contributing to biodiversity and radiating hospitality towards humans, plants, and animals. The green design provides ample room for plants to grow and desired nesting and shelter opportunities for animals. Atop the building, which features a roof covered in solar panels, a module is designed as a bat hotel.

Circular and Modular
The focus on humans and nature was also incorporated into the design and construction process. 80% of the materials used in the homes are reusable and fall under environmental class 1. The building is constructed using a smart combination of prefabricated units, with concrete limited to the ground floor. On top of the concrete table structure, factory-produced modular units are stacked using timber frame construction. The abundant use of wood allows the building to sequester CO₂.

Fire Safety
Due to the high circular ambitions and low MPG score (environmental performance of buildings), our entire team worked on developing the concept. Fire safety also presented significant challenges, as constructing a fully wooden building at this height is unique. We submitted comprehensive justifications to obtain approval from the municipality.

Pride
We are proud of the beautiful result achieved through close collaboration with CRCL, RAU, SeARCH Architects, Pieters bouwtechniek, DGMR, Hazenberg, and Barli.