Sculptural apartment building was designed to evoke a ship

Described as a “modern ship on land,” the Freebooter apartment building in Amsterdam aims to evoke the form and feel of a maritime vessel. Giacomo Garziano, founder of Dutch architecture firm GG-loop, stacked two 1,290-square-foot duplexes on top of each other and wrapped them in striking timber louvers.

The apartments, in keeping with their nautical theme, face the IJ river and are designed to be “organic and free flowing” like the inside of a ship. How ship-like the interiors are is up for debate, but they do live up to their organic claim thanks to plenty of pale wood and soft, rounded edges, plus outdoor spaces reminiscent of ship decks.

Michael Sieber

Though the inside of the residences are serene and peaceful, the outside (tastefully) commands attention. The architects spent a year studying how light would hit the building so they could created a skin made from cross laminated timber louvers. The result is a pattern of wood slats that provides privacy while playing a gorgeous game of light and shadows.

Francisco Nogueira

Michael Sieber

Michael Sieber

Francisco Nogueira

Francisco Nogueira