Client: Private

Overview

Freebooter is the first developed and designed residential project of Amsterdam-basedpractice, GG-loop. The complex, situated on the center of Amsterdam’s Zeeburgereiland and with an eyeline to the Ij River, consists of two, two-bedroom apartments of 120m2 each.
Sensitive to Dutch history, customs and culture, the project took as its starting point the Netherlands’ maritime past.
Freebooter thus becomes a modern-day ‘ship on land,’ with many references to wind, water and sail.
The main materials of the build, like a ship’s hull, were limited to wood, steel and glass. The floor plan, referencing a ship’s layout, is organic and free-flowing.

Goals

The project was initiated by the studio GG-loop in Amsterdam in October 2014. The works started in May 2018 and ended in December 2018 at the address: John Blankensteinstraat 155, Amsterdam. Today Freebooter is a focal point for the neighbourhood that stands out in stark contrast to its neighbouring buildings. Boasting an eye-catching louvered exterior which is a focal point for the neighborhood, this block opens into a compact interior layout revealing combinations of window features, timber interiors and layered finishes, with open-planned organic curves walking through to comfortable living spaces, fostering a sense of well-being and connection to nature.

Process

A triumph of biophilic, home-owner-centric design, Freebooter is meant to set the standards of our future residential projects based on biophilic, home-owner-centric design, energy efficiency, high-quality interior spaces and natural materials.
The project’s name itself is a reference to the historical figure of the ‘Freebooter,’ private freelancers who assembled teams of sailors to explore the high seas. As well as acknowledging Dutch innovation and the nations’ pioneering nature, it was the spirit of the Freebooter that we sought to bring to the apartments, bringing together a highly skilled team of professionals, craftsmen and carpenters to help realize our vision.

Additional Information

The Freebooter development overall is an expression of GG-loop’s embracing of biophilic design – the notion that our built and living environment should not only be ‘green’ in terms of materials, construction, and energy efficiency features, but should be made of healthy and productive spaces to help us reconnect to nature and in which wellbeing is fostered.