Schoonschip Amsterdam

Bamboo X-treme cladding and furniture beams at Schoonschip Amsterdam. Literally translated to “clean ship”, this innovative project in Amsterdam combines both words in an architecturally unique way; “clean” by means of their sustainability aims and “ship” for obvious reasons. With an overall aim of becoming the most sustainable floating community in Europe, initiative groups and experts were consulted at the beginning of the project to pay special attention to the sustainability aspects and social cohesion. The result is a fantastically self-efficient project, in which residents live in harmony together.

Project details

Origin of the project

Besides the fact that this project is floating on the water, one of the most interesting elements is that there was no blueprint available, no steps to follow up on. This means that architectural dreams came true when, 10 years after the initial planning began, this project was completed in 2019. The floating community can be found in Buiksloterham, Amsterdam North and is fully occupied with 30 houseboats for 45 households. MOSO® Bamboo X-treme® can be found as cladding on 6 of these houseboats and fits the project in many ways.

Bamboo X-treme cladding and furniture beams at Schoonschip Amsterdam

Material choice

For a project to be constantly within close perimeters of water, the materials needed to be chosen wisely to ensure the all elements of the project were durable. At the same time, the aesthetic appeal was not to be compromised, nor the quality of the buildings. Ultimately, the owners of the boats were given 3 choices for cladding: cork stucco, larch or bamboo. An impressive amount of the residents saw the benefits of bamboo in comparison to alternatives and the majority choose bamboo. Among others, the fact that MOSO® Bamboo is naturally fire resistant was a deciding factor.

More about MOSO® Bamboo X-treme® cladding
MOSO Bamboo X-treme Cladding Rebated

"For those residents, the benefits of bamboo were the deciding factor. Although bamboo is heavier and must be taken into account in the design and balance, below the line it is cheaper than wood. This is because - unlike larch wood - it does not need to be treated with fire retardants. It also appealed to residents that this fast-growing grass has a low CO2 footprint."

Martijn Braunstahl, MTB architects
Stedebouw en Architectuur 03/2019 (Dutch)

Critically future proof

A futuristic, innovative and one-of-its-kind project must also take the future into account. Throughout all Schoonschip houseboats solar panels, special electricity storage systems, state of the art insulation, a double sewage system and more sustainability measures have been integrated in the design. This is also innovative and has been taken to the next level, where the energy that is generated is stored and not simply sold to the net (as with many solar panel systems) but it is only sold to energy companies when there is a surplus.

Schoonschip website

Interested?

“A project that makes use of MOSO® Bamboo Products offers several advantages compared to wood and other alternative materials, plus MOSO® Bamboo will last for years to come.”

Edwin van Houten
Area Sales Manager MOSO International BV, the Netherlands

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