Browse Topics
Tools


Editor's choice

Learning Dutch is a must!

Student finance in the Netherlands

Where to live in Amsterdam

Dealing with that expat feeling

Labour Party profits from Cohen effect

Dutch self-employed start-ups were misled

Student accommodation: Pricy but plentiful

Where to live in Rotterdam

An introduction to the Netherlands

The Netherlands wants immigrants



You are here: Home Housing Where to Live IJburg - living on the water
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


05/05/2009IJburg - living on the water

Amsterdam is a heavily populated city that is constantly expanding. One of the most ambitious urban projects to appear in the Netherlands in a generation is IJburg.

Located to the east of the city centre, IJburg rises out of the water on new artificial islands in IJssel Lake.

IJburgThe first of these islands is Steigereiland, and it is here that the municipality of Amsterdam is experimenting with novel types of architecture on the water itself. There's an inlet on the island where the floating houses are moored.

Floating houses are basically concrete frames. They're built in a factory and then towed to IJburg. The owners lease a water plot for 50 years for about EUR 120,000.


Map courtesy of Statistics NederlandsThe municipality plans to sell over 100 water plots to the private sector on one side of the inlet, while a local housing association plans to build a similar number on the opposite side. About a dozen families are already living in the floating houses.

Rik Uijlenhoet moved in to his floating house last October. His sleeping quarters are located below the surface of the water, and when he comes upstairs in the morning, he still marvels every day at the view he enjoys.

 

 

Take a tour of IJburg

 

Eric Beauchemin
Radio Netherlands






Photo credits: laurenatclemson; Map courtesy of Statistics Nederlands



0 reactions to this article

Inside Expatica
Setting up home in the Netherlands

Setting up home in the Netherlands

A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.

The Netherlands at a glance

The Netherlands at a glance

Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.