The choice of a site for the construction of IJDock began with the question: where in the center of Amsterdam can an object with a total area of almost 89 thousand m2 be located, as well as a large marina for boats, yachts and other water transport? In collaboration with local authorities, the developers, ASR, decided to create a man-made island on Lake IJ, near the historic city center and within walking distance of the Central Railway Station.
The master plan was entrusted to urbanists Dick van Gameren and Bjarna Masterbrook (SeARCH). Despite the large volume and density of the complex, which was caused by a shortage of land in the center of the Dutch capital, the architects were able to embody the idea of "emptiness" in it: they considered that the maximum volume of the building (base 60 mx 180 m, height 44 m) doubles more area than the pumper needs, so 50% of the volume was spent on "gorges" and "slots" between the bodies.
Five objects with different functions were designed for IJDock: the twin buildings of the Zeinstra van Gelderen bureau - an office center where the water police department is located on the 3 lower floors, and a 56-apartment building, the Aitana IJdock hotel (Bakers Architecten and Ben Lurakker, Ben Loerakker), building Prosecutor's Office and the Palace of Justice (both Claus & Kaan). The complex also has an underground (or is it better to say - underwater?) Parking for 500 cars, of which 150 spaces are used by IJDock residents, and the remaining 350 are available to all citizens.
Void plays an important role in the architectural concept of each of the five buildings, providing recreational facilities and helping to preserve the views of downtown Amsterdam from Lake Hey. Also, the configuration of open public spaces is akin to the irregular grid of streets in the old part of the city, in the immediate vicinity of which is the IJDock.
The project used the equivalent to conventional environmentally friendly materials, although it was not easy to find them. Among the most interesting is the greenish brick covering the facades of the residential block with shiny golden glaze.
