Block 23a, IJburg, Amsterdam

One of Block 23’s three subsections is an internalized urban block in its own right. Two rows of family houses, with commercial spaces at one end and an eight-storey atrium-like building the opposite end, enclose the inner grounds with sunken parking spaces. The façades to the inside are light, contrasting with the street elevations of dark masonry. Two gateways standing at opposite ends connect the inner grounds with the surrounding streets and also establish an important visual axis.