Freebooter

A triumph of biophilic, home-owner-centric design in Amsterdam

Ever wondered what design from the perspective of a home-owner looks like? This month, two new owners will take the keys to their very own Freebooter apartment; two residences on Amsterdam’s Zeeburgereiland, created with biophilic living in mind.

Designed and developed by Amsterdam-based studio GG-loop, the development is an expression of the studio’s signature and philosophy of responding to the design brief with the experience and wellbeing of the end-user continuously in mind.

“We are part of nature in a deep and fundamental way, but in our modern lives we’ve lost that connection. Our studio envisions home and city design that respects both inhabitants and the environment, reconnecting both in the process,” says Giacomo Garziano, architect, designer and founder of GG-loop.

“Freebooter is a response to that; as I see biophilic design as the key to truly great design, balancing the technical aspects of environmentally conscious construction with the qualitative, lived-in experience,” Garziano says.

Among other features in these homes, Garziano studied the movement of the sun year-round to create the parametric shape and positioning of the building’s louvers, allowing optimal sunlight to flood the apartment while at the same time maintaining the necessary privacy of the inhabitants.

The floorplan, flow of spaces and organic lines were also created with careful consideration to daily use and the typical tasks of dwellers – in short, so the home is a healthy and productive habitat for rest and living.

“The spaces are very fluid and organic, and ‘unfold’ as you move through the home,” Garziano says.

GG-loop’s design aesthetic is extravagant without being invasive, visionary and futuristic while paying attention to local cultures, customs and sensibilities. Construction of the key internal elements required strong craftsmanship and timberwork, as well as solid structural expertise.

Maritime design was the main source of Freebooter’s aesthetic and was also a source of technical inspiration. The development’s construction was entirely prefabricated down to the last detail, with western red cedar, pine and steel the key materials used throughout each apartment - references to the materials used in ship-building.

Freebooter also takes its cue from Dutch maritime history, and in particular to ‘Freebooters,’ historical figures who assembled freelance sailing teams to take to the high seas in search of adventure and new lands. Freebooter’s design was inspired by their courageous spirit, as it explores new realms of design.

“The Dutch have always been pioneers and innovators, and have an incredible drive to go for it. So too did the team that built these homes,” says Garziano. ‘

GG-loop was the technical and creative lead on the Freebooter project, the first interior and exterior residential project designed completely by the studio in the Netherlands.

KCP Amsterdam advises, manages and executes bespoke interior design projects. In the Freebooter project, bathroom and kitchen were realised, both with advanced LED-lighting solutions. KCP Amsterdam was approached to balance between requirements from Architect and owners, while staying within creative boundaries and meeting tight deadlines. As often, state-of-the-art materials were used to obtain the optimum between functionality, aesthetics and practical application. As always, in a short but intensive traject, high-level requirements were detailed, options discussed and solutions chosen. Only then, after all involved feel comfortable with solutions and projected results, the actual realisation commenced.

In this particular case, the design by GG-loop included a full rendering and presentation of all details of kitchen and bathroom - rarely seen in a project of this size. KCP Amsterdam wanted to explicitly stay within these expressive details and goals, while enabling a swift but long-lasting realisation that was practically executable. In close and constructive dialogue with the Architect (Giacomo Garziano) and the owners, the final implementation details were agreed, and execution completed.

Freebooter and the way the collaboration of all involved was shaped is in the center of KCP Amsterdam’s sweet spot: always looking for solutions that push the envelope, where the tension between functionality, aesthetics and realisation seems insurmountable. If timelines are tight and budgets limited, it only adds to the challenge.

Freebooter was again one of those projects where KCP Amsterdam’s motto proved true: ‘the impossible we do at once, miracles take a little longer’. We feel extremely proud to have been able to add to the realisation of this project, not in the last place because of the collaboration with such an inspiring Architect.