For architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, the focus from the very beginning when planning the new headquarters of the online booking service provider Booking.com was to create a working environment that takes social, physical and mental aspects into account in equal measure. The modern architecture actively encourages employees to move more, while large windows let in maximum daylight and thus create a pleasant atmosphere in the office building. In addition to office space, the Amsterdam development plan at the top of Oosterdokseiland also provided for apartments. "We made a conscious decision to combine living and working in one building instead of erecting two separate buildings," says Ben van Berkel, explaining the integral design concept.

Van Berkel is pleased with the uniform design of the campus, despite different uses. "The design language works here both for living and working as well as for the public functions on the ground floor," he explains. "These include the refugee-run restaurant 'A Beautiful Mess', an art gallery and Techgrounds – a company that integrates people with hidden talents into the Dutch tech sector through training. For me, it was also very special to work on a housing project in Amsterdam again. That makes you want more!"

For the building envelope of the apartment building, UNStudio contacted Solarlux at an early planning stage. Originally, bi-folding glass doors were planned for the façades, but in order to achieve the desired maximum transparency, the highly thermally insulated sliding window cero III with triple glazing was chosen instead. With its narrow profile views of only 34 mm, it enables an impressive transparency of up to 98 percent. At the same time, it meets the highest requirements for wind and driving rain tightness and also offers excellent thermal insulation up to passive house standard. "By changing the system, our task was to ensure the appropriate detailed design and design coordination together with the façade builder Sorba, our client," reports Solarlux project manager André Jansen. We invested a lot of time in the technical execution, produced a mockup in our factory in Germany and tested the windows intensively – all before the official awarding of the order.

Due to the large spans and the associated deflections of the concrete structure, a solution was integrated that allows the windows to be adjusted in the future – without impairing the wind and driving rain tightness. "We installed the 350 sliding elements in just under nine months and successfully completed the project in excellent cooperation with the façade planner Sorba," Jansen sums up. "As one of the most prestigious buildings in the Netherlands, it is also a first-class reference for us. We are very proud to be able to realize such outstanding projects."

The ODE Apartments by UNStudio impressively demonstrate how modern architecture can be harmoniously embedded in a historical context, thus setting new impulses for urban living in Amsterdam.