Today we will walk through the new districts of Amsterdam. These territories have been developed since 1990, and in many of them the construction of residential buildings continues today.
Despite the very dense development of the old center, there are quite large promising areas in Amsterdam, mainly old warehouse districts and artificial islands.
If you has been to Amsterdam, especially by car, then you know that parking in the city is hell. Not many hotels have parking, street parking almost not exists and the prices for underground parking can easily be 60-70 euros per day.
Cruquius Island
We stayed at a new hotel of the YAYS chain (booking.com) in the heart of new districts, on the island of Cruquius. Hotel offers rooms equipped with a kitchen and free covered parking. We lived there with a 1 year old child for 9 nights and had no problems.
These three "houses" on the roof (Wijnsilostraat 1019 AJ) are perhaps the most unusual thing that we have seen during our visit. There were wine storage facilities earlier on this site, so the developer decided to make three unique houses. Each villa has 152 sq.m. and costs 1.25 million euros. All other apartments in the house are rented at a price of 1,100 euros per month, kitchens and bathrooms are already equipped.
We go for a walk further. Along the Zeeburgerkade street there is a long and rather unusual house built in 1905. The house has an underground parking, which apparently appeared not so long ago, but there is also an outdoor parking, on the roof of which there are residents' terraces.
The price of apartments here is even cheaper than in new buildings. A large, three-room apartment cost 550,000 euros or 5200 euros / sq.m.
There is also a quarter of such houses (J.M. van der Meylaan street) built in 1988. As for me, these are "noble" Soviet Khrushchyovkas. Curiously, the prices here are higher (6,000 euros / sq.m.) than in the previous house.
The newest district of Amsterdam is Iburg. It is located on several islands, the largest of which is Haveneiland. Construction began in 2004 and not finished yet.
Despite the relative remoteness, the center can be reached by tram in just 20 minutes. There is no metro yet, but since the area is designed for 50 thousand people, it is possible that it will be built.
In the next photo, you can see the construction site on the newest island of Centrum. Housing prices here are among the lowest, for example, a 5-room penthouse can be bought for only 653.000 euros.
The area is very diverse, absolutely all houses or groups of houses are different in architecture. The average price of a good three-room apartment is about 550.000 euros.
In the neighborhood, closer to the center, there is a small and very cozy island Steigereiland. Here we found several interesting features at once. Pay attention to the building under construction in the background, I will describe it later.
First of all, these are floating villas. They have special requirements in terms of size and draft, so special design bureaus are involved. On the other hand, you can move your villa to another place!
Now we return to the Eastern Docklands (Oostelijk Havengebied), where our hotel is located. The area covers several islands, which can be seen on the panorama. There are not many new buildings, but still there is something interesting to see.
It is completely covered with the boring townhouses built in 2000. You can buy one for 475.000 euros. Only at the very edge is there a street with town houses of different designs.
The building has 214 apartments and 179 underground parking spaces. The unusual design is made so that the light enters as much as possible into all apartments.
I can't say that I like this residential complex, primarily because of the lack of balconies and terraces, but it's really better to have such architecture is in the city than not to have.
The second building is the high-rise De Steltloper, built a couple of years ago. It has 126 apartments for 2-4 rooms. In May 2021 an apartment in a penthouse was rented here at a price of 2395 euros per month (+75 euros for utilities, +~ 100 euros for parking, +water, electricity). Developer is giving a completely finished apartment, renovated and with good kitchen. I did not find apartments for sale, probably they are only for rent.
Java island (Java-eiland) and KNSM island (KNSM-eiland)
We go further to next two islands in the northern direction. Despite the fact that, this is one island, it is divided into two. Of course they are artificial, appeared at the end of the 19th century.
In the second half of the 20th century, the port facilities in the western part (Java) were abandoned and in the 1980s they were occupied by various squatters and artists. In the 1990s, everything was demolished and the island was built up with residential buildings.
I don't like their designs, they remind me of Soviet nine-story buildings, but, nevertheless, there are some interesting elements. These small houses are attached to the high-rise buildings. It's hard for me to understand how light enters the rooms behind these constructions.
Some houses are painted in bright colors. Despite the fact that the houses are quite old, the prices are higher here, for example, a three-room apartment, 80 sq.m. are being sold for 575,000 euros.
The eastern part (KNSM) looks more interesting, all houses are different. In contrast to the western part, many of the port facilities have been preserved and converted into residential buildings. Noteworthy are two round houses, as well as villas on the edge of the island.
Rietlanden district and Oostelijke Handelskade district
These are the two less interesting areas to live in. On one side there is a railway, on the other an empty embankment. I don't know who wants to live here, maybe some artists.
Apartments, however, are quite expensive, 7500 euros per sq.m. By the way, this is one of the best places to watch the Sail Amsterdam festival, which takes place every five years and which we visited in 2015.
The only interesting building is a high-rise. The building is very basic, but it looks good with two small notches. Under this building there is a large underground parking lot (Parkeergarage Brazilië), the first 90 minutes are free.
In the end, the new and the most prestigious area of Amsterdam, Overhoeks. It is located in the very center, on the other side of the canal, and therefore there is a lot of space and excellent views. The area was formerly owned by the Shell Research Center.
Apartment prices in the high-rise buildings under construction are surprisingly quite affordable. A good 3-room apartment has a price of 700.000 euros.
And a luxurious penthouse in the same house costs 4.400.000 euros. The house, by the way, has not yet been built, it will be behind this building in the photo.
But we are more interested in a residential area nearby, with houses from 5 to 8 floors. Unfortunately, prices there are not affordable for the middle class; after all, this is the most elite place in the city.
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