Inside Design Amsterdam was held in IJburg, which I’ve always wanted to explore. As far as Amsterdam neighborhoods go, IJburg is completely different from anything in the city.
For starters, IJburg is the only neighborhood that sits in a lake, the IJmeer (eye-meer), and was constructed atop reclaimed land—on six man-made islands of dredged-up sand, to be exact. More importantly, and what makes it unique in a city with medieval roots, IJburg is new. Bright, shiny and new. This neighborhood came to life when the first buildings were completed in 2001, and construction is still ongoing on its second phase.
I first visited IJburg to investigate the city beach known as Blijburg… and was sorely disappointed. That experience didn’t endear IJburg to me at all. But Inside Design Amsterdam (with the help of sunshine and blue skies) changed that. Suddenly, IJburg looked… appealing.
Stepping into this part of Steigereiland felt like finding myself in an architectural rendering.
