Freebooter

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 shape and positioning of the building’s louvres, 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.

“Freebooter was born out of the main elements which characterize the a rea. It used to be a place where ships were constantly present. This is why the decision was made to use the elements related to navigation and interp ret them according to a vision: the wooden structure typical of the sailing ships and traditional Dutch architecture inspired the construction technol ogy and feeling of the interiors; the openness of the floor plan, the chang es in height according to the function of the room follows basic principle of ship engineering; the transparency of the façades, the balconies an d terraces, create a feeling of standing on a ship’s deck, and stil l preserving privacy and comfort. The fluidity of the water that carries th e ship and the wind that blows into its veils inspired both the floor plan, the interiors and the pattern of shading structure. With this building the design brings back the historic memories of the area and gives the new inh abitants the feeling of belonging to it since centuries ago.”

Giacomo Garziano