Het Bastion is a large social housing complex incorporating rental accommodation (apartments) and various facilities such as a day-care centre and a drop-in centre for old people. It is located within the Meer en Oever restructuring area near Osdorp, Amsterdam’s westernmost suburb. The project is situated within a stone’s throw of Sloterplas Lake, a large body of water that acts as the focal point of this part of the city. The building has a triangular form, dictated in part by the wish to let the occupants of the apartments enjoy as much of the sun as possible. Its middle wing has seven floors over a four-storey-high gate that lends access to the inner courtyard where the communal facilities are situated. The courtyard is slightly raised, with a wooden deck under which the parking area is situated.

The wings on either side of this central section are angled together to give the above-mentioned triangular form. The building is clad in sand coloured brick (the colour of Berlage’s well-known Stock Exchange in central Amsterdam) with a stone plinth, and stands on an incline that extends beyond the building as terraces for the use of the clientele of the communal facilities. An attempt has been made, despite the limited funds available for a social housing project of this kind, to design a building with a certain monumental grandeur. The means used to this end include the large-scale portal that serves as the entrance to the central courtyard and the uniform dimensions of the windows which add to the sturdy impression made by the building. The format of the French windows opening on the apartments’ balconies also helps to give the building an air of luxury. Finally, the L-shaped form of the apartments gives more wall space and more flexibility in the furnishing and finishing of the units.