Sluishuis and the Made Land of IJburg

The deeper story

Sluishuis stands on the western side of IJburg, where the developed islands meet the open water of Lake IJmeer. From certain viewpoints, the residential building appears to rise directly from the water. Two corners are lifted, creating open sightlines and passages beneath the structure towards a small inner harbour. Its form suits a district that was itself constructed within the water.

Plans for a major expansion on Amsterdam’s eastern side already existed during the twentieth century. The city was growing and needed new housing, while suitable building land was becoming increasingly scarce. Existing polders and urban edges could not provide enough space for the expected growth. Attention therefore shifted towards Lake IJmeer, where new islands could make a major extension of the city possible.

During the 1990s, Amsterdam chose to develop IJburg, initially known as Nieuw-Oost. The plan envisaged a series of artificial islands between Zeeburgereiland and the open IJmeer. Roads, bridges, public transport, housing and facilities were to be designed as one new urban district. The expansion was therefore not merely a housing project, but also a new intervention in the relationship between Amsterdam and the surrounding water.

Construction began in 1999. Unlike a traditional reclamation project, no large body of water was enclosed by a ring dike and pumped dry. Sand was deposited layer by layer on the bottom of Lake IJmeer. It was spread and compacted below the water, after which further layers were raised above the surface. The land was therefore created not by removing water, but by locally raising the lake bed.

This process created Steigereiland, Haveneiland and the Rieteilanden, among other islands. The new ground first had to settle sufficiently before roads, utilities and buildings could be constructed. The first residents moved into their homes at the end of 2002. IJburg subsequently continued to grow in phases, with different densities and forms of housing on each island.

Water remained part of the design throughout. Canals, harbours, bridges, jetties and open shorelines connect the residential areas with Lake IJmeer. Some houses stand directly beside the water, while others overlook broad inner harbours or narrow canals. IJburg therefore does not merely lie beside the water. The district uses it as a navigation route, recreational area, view and public space.

This open relationship with the water is particularly visible around Sluishuis. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and Barcode Architects, the building opened in 2022. It contains hundreds of homes, shared facilities and an inner harbour. The large block matches the urban scale of IJburg, but is shaped so that the water remains visible beneath and through the complex.

On the IJmeer side, the building rises in a series of steps. Elsewhere, parts of the volume are lifted and homes project above the water. These elevated corners create passages and sightlines towards the inner harbour. The boundary between building, quay and water consequently becomes less distinct. Sluishuis does not simply stand beside a shoreline, but forms part of the water’s edge itself.

Public walking routes, jetties and seating areas surround the building. From the quay, there are views across Lake IJmeer towards Durgerdam and Pampus. Turning around reveals the compact development of Steigereiland and Haveneiland. Open water, newly created land and contemporary urban architecture therefore face one another directly in a single location.

The creation of IJburg was not without controversy. Housing, accessibility and urban growth had to be balanced against ecological values, water quality and the open landscape of Lake IJmeer. Opponents feared damage to habitats and the loss of open water. Shallow zones, nature-friendly shorelines and new habitats were therefore also created around the islands.

IJburg thus shows that modern land creation is more than an engineering task. Every new mass of sand changes currents, depth, views and habitat. At the same time, homes and public spaces arise in places previously occupied only by water. The edge of the city is not simply moved outward here, but redesigned as a transition between buildings and lake.

Walk around Sluishuis and notice how the building responds differently to the water on each side. On one side, it forms a solid urban wall; on the other, it opens above the harbour and Lake IJmeer. Then look towards the low islands and distant horizon. Sluishuis is neither a lock nor a traditional hydraulic structure, but it captures the essence of IJburg: Amsterdam created space for housing here without removing the water entirely from the landscape.