Amstel Design District, created by Mecanoo, is a mixed-use community that consists of private residences, collective facilities, and accommodations for those with middle incomes. Along with places for cultural organizations like the 800 square meters design museum, the 80,000 square meters master plan also includes areas for creative offices and shops. A composition of setbacks and stacked volumes were created for the project, which is situated between a highway and a metro line, to address site constraints and noise pollution issues. As a result, it is possible to designate little plazas and tiny parks as public areas between the buildings.
A development with a focus on the future, it aims to have an impact on Amsterdam as a whole. Social housing, homes for middle-class rent, privately owned residences, communal facilities, creative office space, retail, and a design museum are all included in this plan for a living and working community. The project reacts to site restrictions including noise pollution and logistics because it is situated between a highway and a metro line. The program is created following the goals of nature inclusion, sustainability, and circularity.
The new area is intended to develop into a creative hub that offers urban residents places to start their businesses and enhances the creative and vibrant environment of the workplace. The area is intended to provide flexible office and co-working spaces, as well as workshops, maker spaces, and other creative workplaces. Additionally, the plan offers a wide range of services like dining options, retail stores, and entertainment options.
The inclusion of transitional spaces for impromptu gatherings and chance encounters improves the residential experience. The concept of a city as a living room, taking into account all facets of city life, served as Mecanoo’s beginning point for the creation. With common spaces for family time, recreation, and hobbies, the architects wanted to create a new neighborhood that embraces the efficacy of work-life balance for the community. Due to its location sandwiched between a highway and a metro line, the project must accommodate site restrictions relating to logistics and noise pollution. The plan, which is made of setbacks and stacked volumes, adapts to the area by creating pocket parks and plazas in the open areas between the buildings.
Intimate and recognizable public roof locations are created thanks to the building setbacks’ spatial extension of the public realm. The program’s design complies with the goals of nature inclusion, sustainability, and circularity. The Amstel Design District was created by real estate developer Connecting Concepts BV, based in Amsterdam, and it incorporates adaptability to ensure long-term resilience. It provides a dynamic diversity of business and collaboration spaces to meet changing workplace demands.
The entire district is energized by a green artery made up of densely planted regions and small parks. These areas give locals, families with children, and budding entrepreneurs alike cozy places to unwind and enjoy leisure time. To establish a connection between the office spaces and with nature, the working environment often offers “green retreats,” such as patios, landscaped roofs, and terraces. Additionally, green roofs help to cushion and retain water while promoting biodiversity.
The building setbacks, which spatially increase the public realm, enable private and recognizable public roof areas. The sustainability of the natural environment and everyone’s access to it were taken into account when developing the plan. Amstel Design District accommodates changing needs of workplaces with a dynamic diversity of business and collaboration spaces, integrating adaptability to ensure long-term resilience. It’s a location where locals can stroll, kids can play quietly, and young businesspeople and office workers may enjoy lunch on the terraces of the food hall or restaurant. “Green retreats,” including patios and rooftops with plants, are a component of the working surroundings and foster a feeling of closeness to the natural world. In addition to increasing biodiversity, green roofs help to retain and buffer water.
For young city inhabitants, time spent outside the home is becoming a larger component of their daily lives. The home serves as both the departure point and the living room, with the city serving as the bedroom. To integrate and improve the in-between places for casual meets and chance encounters, Mecanoo took into account the evolution as a whole when designing this. To provide the residents with the ideal balance of personal and communal spaces, work and life, etc., we set out to design. As a result, a brand-new neighborhood is created with common areas for hobbies, family time, and physical exercise that supports the community‘s need for work-life balance.
Numerous planted areas and tiny parks are interspersed throughout the neighborhood like a green artery. They create imaginative and welcoming locations all throughout the week where visitors can unwind or find inspiration. The neighborhood is open to strolling, children may play securely, and young professionals and office workers can eat lunch on the terraces of the food mall or restaurant. “Green Retreats” at the office provide a direct connection with nature. Green roofs offer water retention and filtration while also fostering biodiversity.
The Haque, a Dutch city, will soon have the tallest high-rise ensemble, according to a concept recently released by Mecanoo, a Dutch architectural studio. The “The Grace” project, which consists of two towers with a combined height of 180 meters, is intended to meet the rising demand for affordable housing. Each tower is 150 meters high. The Brink Tower in Amsterdam is a different high-rise project being built by the same company.
