Real estate developer Boelens de Gruyter is selling 112 social housing units to housing corporation Stadgenoot and the other 212 rental units to asset manager Syntrus Achmea, buying on behalf of pension fund PME. Dura Vermeer Bouw Midden West has already started preparing the site.

The dwellings will be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Architects KCAP were responsible for the design, sales advice was provided by real estate advisor Savills, law firm Osborne Clarke, PwC Belastingadviseurs and HMK Notarissen.

Patrick Barské, director of Real Estate & Development at Stadgenoot: “With OKU House, we are adding more than 100 affordable housing units to the city. This gives fresh impetus to our plans of ensuring that Amsterdam continues to be accessible to the most diverse groups of people and to those with a modest income. This is how we keep the city in balance.”

“We are pleased that we can – once again – add a large number of dwellings to the city of Amsterdam, this time for our client PME”, says Anjelica Cicilia, Acquisition & Development director at Syntrus Achmea. “For those seeking housing, adding dwellings to the city is beneficial. In addition, they contribute greatly to improving the quality of life in this area. That is very important for us and for our client.”

OKU House is part of the redevelopment of the area around the World Fashion Centre, where Boelens de Gruyter is building a ‘district within a district' above the office complexes Berghaus and Fashion House, creating more than 600 dwellings above the offices. As a result of this densification, the space above ground level will increase from approximately 33,000 sq m to approximately 90,000 sq m.

The dwellings in OKU House are an architectural masterpiece: the two buildings are largely built on stilts, parts of which run through the Fashion House below. “This table construction is unique, you rarely see it,” says Maarten de Gruyter of Boelens de Gruyter. “The major challenge is the way this development is constructed, however, it allows us to add an enormous living area to an existing part of the city.”

The surrounding area will be improved as well. Different parts of the area will be connected by adding a bridge and an elevated public square. De Gruyter: “The square between the buildings will become a lively place for both residents and employees, with amenities such as a coffee bar and a restaurant. The addition of lots of greenery and jetties on the water also provide various meeting places.”

The bridge to Schipluidenlaan is in line with the surrounding environment and makes the route to Lelylaan station much shorter, which is great for the people who live and work there. The municipality will be renovating the station in the next few years, which will further increase accessibility. Parking will be provided underground and there will also be sufficient indoor bicycle sheds.