Neighbourhoods
Buiksloterham — the circular experiment across the IJ
A former industrial polder in Noord reinventing itself plot by plot: self-build homes, floating villages and sustainability pioneers at the water's edge.
- experimental
- sustainable
- self-build
- industrial
- Noord
Photo: Gerlof Hoogeveen / Google
Buiksloterham is Amsterdam's laboratory: an industrial polder being converted, plot by plot, into the city's most experimental quarter. Self-built houses in every imaginable material stand next to working wharves; Schoonschip, a floating village of energy-autonomous homes, moors in a side channel; and pioneering spots built from reclaimed materials serve lunch between vegetable beds and solar panels. Nothing here is finished, which is the point — you watch a city being figured out in real time. Combine it with the NDSM wharf next door, and take the Distelweg ferry back for the best sunset line on the IJ.
Getting there
Directions from the nearest transit hubs to Buiksloterham — the circular experiment across the IJ.
Amsterdam's main station — intercity, sprinter, metro 51/52/53/54, most tram lines and city ferries all depart here.
Distelweg ferry from the Tasmanstraat/Houthavens side, or ten minutes by bike from the Buiksloterweg ferry landing.