The Sluishuis is located where city, countryside and water meet in Amsterdam IJburg. This 46,500 square meter housing project by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Barcode Architects slopes over the water. From their sloping windows, the residents look right out onto the boats that pass below them. Reason enough to fit the steel Jansen Viss EI60 windows of the cantilevered apartments with walkable fire world glass in the highest classification: Pyrobel EI60.

The residential complex with 442 apartments is located in the water near the Enneüs Heerma Bridge. The design of the Sluishuis is a nod to the traditional inner-city courtyards. By lifting a corner of the block towards the water, an inner courtyard is created that is connected to the surrounding water and offers a wide view over the IJmeer. In the direction of the neighborhood on the Steiger Island, the block descends in steps, creating terraces and giving the building a pleasant scale in relation to the surroundings. The wooden cladding provides a playful contrast.

The sleek shapes give the water a surreal role in the building. With a jetty at the Sluishuis, this new residential community has a focus on water lovers and the building is the gateway to IJburg.  Due to the building shape, all apartments have plenty of daylight. Residents and visitors can use the courtyard, the pontoon promenade around the building, and the public walkway to the top of the Sluishuis.

This iconic building is built leaning on water. The design therefore places high demands on the steel window structures, as the sloping windows must be walkable for the occupants, be fire resistant and have a high load-bearing capacity. Together with M.C. Kersten B.V., the technical advisors of Jansen AG NL BE proposed a steel window solution.

In the further development of this project, the technical solutions surrounding the Jansen Viss fire resistant windows for the Sluishuis were extensively tested at Efectis in Rijswijk. In total, the 42 frames were prefabricated in production at the constructor M.C. Kersten B.V. who installed them in the new eye-catcher in IJburg. 

Photos: Ossip van Duivenbode