Compact housing in Amsterdam | Domus Houthaven

Our video series FRAME Views: Communal Living continues with a feature on an Amsterdam domestic complex driven by amenity-rich communal living spaces.
Domus Houthaven is a 235-unit apartment building with communal living spaces located in Amsterdam. Designed by Shift Architecture Urbanism and conceptualized in collaboration with Synchroon Developers and creative agency …,Staat, the apartments range from 43 to 60 sq-m and are aimed to meet the growing demand for one- and two-person living spaces in the city. The building is ‘designed as a family of interconnected blocks’, a choice made for several reasons. It mimics the scale of the surrounding residential neighbourhood but also allows for the central placement of amenities while ensuring each space has access to natural light. ‘For the livability of the city, good housing is important, but so are the spaces between the houses,’ Oana Radeș, architect and partner at Shift Architecture Urbanism. ‘The open spaces shouldn’t come as leftovers.'
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[@afzender-bekend]

I won't argue, for someone like me this looks very appealing; I'd love to have shared living space and garden, and have easy access to neighbours. I loved living in communal settings when I was younger, even though I'm an introvert. And in fact on the autistic side... Yet I can't help but wonder - is that a step towards "You'll own nothing and be happy?"

[@rauschma]

Very clever! You get a decent amount of privacy but can also mingle if you feel like it. I like the alcoves-they are basically mini bedrooms but save space. They could contain wall beds and make the space even more versatile.

[@TheNightshadePrince]

I don’t think small apt should be celebrated, the rising cost of living is directly attributed to greed of the older generations who chose to raise the rent as much as legally allowed throughout the west.

[@overpope3510]

Imagine the video creators would grow a spine and call out issues instead of celebrating the decline of living standards.

[@fritzdeuces]

I was going to decry tiny living spaces until I heard that the design allows for expansion to larger units. There should be minimum sq footage for a person to live otherwise cities will become dystopian like in Hongkong where people live coffins.

[@fredericpayan6708]

can't see much of the flats

[@juditzentai8331]

It is like an elderly house for jong people 😂. Or a student house. Not a bad idea as indeed unfortunately there are more and more lonely people.

[@overpope3510]

Man, it really looks like the creators of this house and the video have heavily overdosed on the 2024 marketing cool-aid. Housing like this is a sign of heavy wealth distribution problems and financial speculation on the property market that should be banned. It’s not good and trying to portray it as such isn’t either.

[@johnconnor768]

Long live communism! 😂