MVRDV to start construction on The Couch, a club house for Tennisclub IJburg in Amsterdam

Upon receiving approval, construction of MVRDV's The Couch is set to begin this month. The Couch is a club house that the Dutch firm designed together with co-architect Studio Bouwkunde for IJburg, a growing tennis club established in 2010 on an artificial island in Amsterdam.

The 322 m2 facility gets its name from its rooftop, which dips in the center to create an informal seating area for spectators to watch matches. The tribune will be able to seat up to 200 spectators.

Completion of the club house is expected in summer 2014.

Have a look at some images and additional information MVRDV sent us.

"The club house is a long open volume with services on either side such as dressing rooms, a kitchen, storage and toilets. The main space is multifunctional, so it can be used for the club’s many events."

"The roof dips down towards the south side and is raised towards the north until a height of seven metres, creating an informal tribune for the club."

"This 'Couch' can seat up to 200 spectators. The wide glass front to the north side allows extensive natural lighting and provides a view out over the waters of the IJ-lake."

"Inside the club house, the concrete construction is clad with fsc-certified wood, with the outside fully sealed with an epdm polymer hotspray in the same colour and texture as the clay tennis courts. The reduced glass surface to the south helps to cool the building."

"The thermal mass characteristics of the materialisation in concrete and wood are used to reach a high degree of energy efficiency."

"It will be heated with district heating made efficient by a heat exchange system. In summer there will be natural ventilation, adding to the ambitious sustainable profile of the structure."

"MVRDV developed the clubhouse together with co-architect Studio Bouwkunde and structural engineer ABT. Contractor Ballast Nedam Bouw will realise the building, which will be MVRDV’s eighth building in Amsterdam."

Images courtesy of MVRDV.

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