Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Barcode Architects designed a spectacular floating residential building called Sluishuis in Amsterdam. It stands as an incredible vision that is both rooted in place and yet floating in mid-air. The stunning structure’s sharp, geometric angles meet water, city, and sky. One corner rises as an echo of the bow of a ship, allowing the surrounding water to enter a surreal world inside.

Sluishuis building contains 442 owner-occupied and rental apartments

Sluishuis has a rich diversity of housing typologies, such as compact urban studios and water sports apartments. On the top two floors are duplex penthouses with both a relationship with the courtyard and a view over the IJmeer. Premium flats with luxurious and sunny wooden roof terraces with views over IJburg are located on the stepped part. Extra special are the apartments at the bottom of the cantilever, with stunning views over the IJ and directly on the water. What makes these apartments so unique is that they hang over the water and in the part of the floor that runs along with the sloping façade, there is a large window through which you can see the boats sail right underneath you.

The structure is interestingly shaped, elevated on one side to let water into the courtyard and stepped down on the other to extend an inviting entrance to IJburg with inviting green terraces. This makes the structure perceived differently from every viewpoint, whether standing on the dyke, highway, or bridge, crossing jetties or a public route over the roof, or even observing the structure from the air.

Sluishuis is one of the most sustainable buildings recently completed. It has an energy performance coefficient (EPC) of 0.00. The building’s heating requirements have been minimized by combining excellent insulation techniques, triple glazing, and heat recovery from the ventilation systems and showers. The building is heated by combining energy-efficient district heating and heat pumps for hot water and cooling.