‘Het Funen’ residential complex, Amsterdam

The blocks on the perimeter of ‘Het Funen’ serve as a noise baffler for the railway and reflect the dynamism of trains. The glass, scale-like sound barrier was attached to the building like a second skin. The coloured panels recreate the rhythmic effect of a stroboscope, thus emphasizing the sense of speed. The southern elevation on the Cruquiuskade represents the ‘urban aspect’, with canal-side apartments and a street-level plinth of commercial space. The northern and western elevations form the scenic backdrop for the central area. Here the storey-high ‘panels’ of masonry and the wooden window and door frames are distributed across the façades like a chessboard. Three large apertures in the structure offer a view of the harbour area and the railway line from within.