Not many buildings come sealed in bright orange polymer hotspray, but this is exactly the treatment Superdutch architects MVRDV chose for their new project in Amsterdam. Enter the brand new home for local tennis club TC Ijburg.
The small yet charming project combines a clubhouse with an open air seating area for best views of the matching orange clay tennis courts - all ten of them - as well as the nearby urban landscape and waterfront. The building's roof is folded in such a way that it creates an informal spectator platform, which can seat up to 200 people.
Inside, the FSC certified wood clad space offers areas to refresh and relax, for players, family and friends. 'IJburg is a new district to the east of Amsterdam,' explain the architects. 'On its six artificial islands, 18,000 homes will be eventually be built for 45,000 residents. At present, the district holds just 16,000 of these inhabitants. There are many initiatives to attract people to the area.' The newly formed tennis club is one of those initiatives.
The facility, which aims to become a beating heart for the Ijburg community, a gathering space and an integral piece of street furniture for the locals, will be open to the public, free and functional year-round.
The Couch can comfortably seat up to 200 people; it was sprayed with a polymer that gave it the same colour and texture as the courts
Open to the public, the club can be used by friends and family of the players, as well as people from the local community, who want to watch the games
There is ample seating as well as an area for refreshments
Photography: Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
ADDRESS
The Couch
Zandzeggestraat 1
1087 SL Amsterdam
-
Hella Jongerius’ ‘Angry Animals’ take a humorous and poignant bite out of the climate crisisAt Salon 94 in New York, Hella Jongerius presents animal ceramics, ‘Bead Tables’ and experimental ‘Textile Studies’ – three series that challenge traditional ideas about function, craft, and narrative
-
A photographic study of a family hi-fi store is a vivid portrait of a small businessFashion photographer Nik Hartley looked behind the scenes at Wilkinson’s Hi-Fi, a longstanding part of its Lancashire community.
-
The Contestant: inside the dark and exploitative beginnings of reality TVClair Titley’s The Contestant examines a sensationalist moment in TV history, before Big Brother meant reality became an accepted part of popular culture
-
The best gyms around the world for design buffs in 2018 -
Skate park design goes to the British seaside with Guy Hollaway’s F51F51 is Folkestone's brand new, dedicated, multistorey skate park, courtesy of the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and Hollaway Studio
-
Community centre architecture redefined: Holborn House by 6a and Caragh Thuring opensHolborn House by 6a Architects and Caragh Thuring opens for the Holborn Community Association in London, bridging art and community architecture with people at its heart
-
Pink concrete skatepark is a striking urban landmark in the Chihuahuan DesertA team of architects, landscape designers, sociologists and urban planners came together to create La Duna, a fine example of skatepark architecture on the northern border of Mexico
-
Last chance to play: Yinka Ilori's colourful basketball court in Canary Wharf is a slam dunkArtist and designer Yinka Ilori applied his signature colourful geometries to his design for this new public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London
-
Building muscle: London architecture walks and runsTry these London architecture walks and runs for some physical and intellectual edification
-
Janne Tuunanen captures modernist architecture of renovated Helsinki Olympic StadiumPhotographer Janne Tuunanen captures the sharp modernist architecture of the recently renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland in his latest series
-
Yinka Ilori’s colourful skatepark in France is a pillar of the communitySport, street art and community merge in Yinka Ilori’s skatepark in Roubaix, project that is part of Lille’s World Capital of Design 2020
