SWITI
Switi is the urban and landscape extension of the Kelbergen neighbourhood in Amsterdam Zuidoost, also known as the Bijlmer, comprising an ensemble of a strip of low-rise housing and a residential tower, fully constructed from biobased materials and integrated into a natural, green environment: a contemporary and sustainable reinterpretation of the original.
Improving through densification
While large parts of the Bijlmer have been extensively redeveloped since the early 2000s, Kelbergen still retains its original layout. The low-rise neighbourhood, consisting mainly of social housing from 1973, was designed by architect Jan Sterenberg and forms a counterpart to the high-rise structures of the Bijlmermeer. In the green structure of the original plan, a canal bordered the neighbourhood, but at the same time separated it from its immediate surroundings and the Gooiseweg, creating a strip of land between road and water. This ‘lost’ strip forms the site of Switi.
By placing the new dwellings on the opposite side of the existing canal, the water is transformed from a barrier into an integral and connecting element of the neighbourhood. The low-rise housing follows the typology of the original strip development, with subtle shifts between volumes, creating a balance between collective unity and individual identity. In this way, a natural and respectful urban dialogue emerges between old and new.
Urban infill, natural extension
On a larger scale, the project is part of a major transformation linked to the construction of the Gaasperdammer tunnel. Where the site was previously dominated by the busy A9 motorway, the tunnel has largely removed car traffic from sight and sound. Brasapark, constructed on top of the tunnel, now connects Nelson Mandelapark and Gaasperplas, and thereby also the districts of Bijlmermeer and Gaasperdam.
Switi forms the green link between these parks and acts as a catalyst within this transformation. In collaboration with the urban design department of the Municipality of Amsterdam, the design of the public space is guided by the credo ‘living in a park’, with rich vegetation supporting birds, bats and insects, and the car treated as a guest. The residential tower acts as a modest but distinctive landmark that visually connects the neighbourhoods on both sides of the park.
Integrated sustainability
Through an integrated approach to landscape, architecture and building technology, Switi responds to the sustainability ambitions of today. At the same time, the project aligns with the ideals of modernism on which the original neighbourhood is based, through the use of industrial building methods and contemporary materials.
Apart from the foundations, Switi is entirely biobased. Unique in the Netherlands is the construction of the tower, in which the loadbearing walls, stair core, floors and structural core are made of solid cross-laminated timber (CLT). The façades are insulated with wood fibre and clad in bamboo.
The architectural unity between low-rise and tower is reinforced by a consistent façade design with a pattern of square window openings and loggias. This pattern plays with the principle of ‘rule and exception’. As the tower is designed on all sides and located at the intersection of park and road, it can respond precisely to varying acoustic and ventilation requirements of the dwellings.
Social continuity
The low-rise section comprises 24 dwellings of 125 m² across three storeys, flexibly arranged and strongly connected to the outdoor space. The tower contains 45 apartments of 60 m² with an internal loggia. All homes were sold at a fixed, affordable price set in advance by the Municipality of Amsterdam, with priority given to local residents. This has stimulated movement within the neighbourhood and helped preserve its social network. Switi is therefore not only a physical extension of the neighbourhood, but also a social one.
The dwellings have clear and flexible floor plans that allow for a wide range of living arrangements. The preferences of buyers of the low-rise homes were incorporated into the design, allowing for a family home with five full bedrooms to exist alongside a home for a couple providing informal care. Most adaptations to the generic plan are reversible, allowing future residents to adjust the home again to their own needs.
