De Halve Maen Apartment Building

De Halve Maen Apartment Building

Mecanoo as Architects

Apartment building De Halve Maen is part of the Overhoeks development: attractive, high-quality, spacious homes that have been created on the former Shell terrain, beautifully located on the north shore of the river IJ in Amsterdam.


Mecanoo’s design for the complex forms a subtle play on symmetry and massing. The U-shaped building has a tall masonry plinth and tiered superstructure with twenty special penthouses and large roof gardens on the top three floors. The orientation of the residences, outdoor pocket spaces, public courtyard and a division between lower and upper building forms defy the rigid structure of the urban plan.The staggered roofline, combined with vertical incisions and the transparent entrance hall combine to create a dynamic building. The apartments have been given two or more sided orientation to allow for an abundance of daylight to flood in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.


The design and material selection was inspired by the elegant limestone buildings of Paris with their large doors, ornate wrought iron fences and zinc roofs. The facade is clad in gradations of warm yellow brickwork, with the balconies detailed in slender elegant railings. By embedding the double swinging doors into the facade, a French-style balconette with the same iron work has been created for each window.

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun
29 Mar 2024 Detail
Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun

Spanish architecture firm OHLAB has recently completed Paseo de Mallorca 15, a residential complex o... More

Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo
28 Mar 2024 News
Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo

Global transdisciplinary architecture and design practice Snøhetta has designed a new entranc... More

10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete
27 Mar 2024 Specification
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete

Precast concrete is made by casting concrete in a reusable mold. These molds are made of various mat... More

Sameep Padora and Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India
26 Mar 2024 News
Sameep Padora & Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India

Mumbai-based Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) has completed Hampi Art Labs in Toranagallu, a vi... More

Introducing Partner Thermory AS
26 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Thermory AS

Thermory AS offers a diverse product range that includes durable exterior cladding, decking, interio... More

Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality
25 Mar 2024 News
Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality

Brooklyn Tower, standing an impressive ninety-three stories tall with a unique neo-deco crown, is al... More

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury
25 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright have been announced as Archello Awards 202... More

Vurpas Architectes converts former brick and concrete market into light-filled primary school in Lyon
22 Mar 2024 News
Vurpas Architectes converts former brick and concrete market into light-filled primary school in Lyon

The Eugénie Brazier school project in Lyon, France, undertaken by regional architecture studi... More