As Amsterdam sees itself confronted with an increasing demand for social housing due to the ongoing refugee crisis, the question arises how to house these new citizens and how to foster their integration in society. Ymere approached us with the question to design a building with commercial plinth and 100 small apartments for starters on the housing market and holders of a refugee status. The critical issue with this question is how to avoid the all too often anonymity and impersonality of mass housing and how to facilitate and promote interaction instead? The building on this plot marks