Mara de Pater

Play the City offers a tour of the up and coming Buiksloterham area - the largest scale of circular city experiment in the Netherlands

Want to see Europe’s largest housing development madeout of sustainably sourced wood? Want to learn more about alternative officeparks made out of houseboats? Does the idea of a sustainable floating villageinterest you? Together with our research into the area, Play the City willprovide you with valuable insight into the way in which forces are being joinedto achieve the ambitions and goals set out for this exciting new area ofdevelopment in Amsterdam.

The City of Amsterdam wantsto accelerate the sustainability of the capital. In 2020 the city aims togenerate 20% more renewable energy per capita and will use 20 % less energy.

Buiksloterham in Amsterdam North has been identifiedas a living lab for circular area development, setting out ambitious goalstowards closed system flows and resource management. Based on the circulareconomy model, the development of this area with its polluted land stretchesand open spaces will become the center of the implementation of new cleantechnologies and a hub for the closure of urban material cycles, serving as thelargest scale of a live circular citymaking experiment.

The area is buzzing with activity, new developmentsare rapidly taking shape, entrepreneurs are passionately self-building theirdream homes and housing corporations are joining forces with self-builders.Investment in technologies are setting new building standards and developmentinitiatives are setting new standards for partnership collaboration models.

Architecture and urban planning tours in Amsterdam

De Gebouwengids organizes tours in the field of architecture and urban planning. The organization is founded fifteen years ago and has developed a professional and passionate way to guide you through the city of Amsterdam. Redevelopment, sustainability and future development are central themes.Check here the broad offer of tours, through musea, parks, different neighbourhoods in the city, and much more.

Take a peak into the new metro line

From 2017, the North/South metro line will run 9.7 kilometres fromBuikslotermeer in the north of the city to Amsterdam Zuid station in the south.At Stationsplein 7, Amsterdam, the visitors center is located. Here you willget information on the status of the project and which innovative techniquesare used to build a tunnel right below the city centre. From our visitorscenter, also tours are provided. If construction work allows, the tour enters the underground building site. You can reserve a tour via phone or online. Photo: Gé Dubbelman

Cradle to cradle working environment

Park 20|20 is the first full service Cradle to Cradle working environment in The Netherlands. In Park 20|20 a unique level of sustainability is created together with a human centered design approach to realise the cleanest, most inspiring and productive working environment to date.

Cradle to Cradle® is an innovation platform developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart for designing beneficial economic, social and environmental features into products, processes and systems. Rather than seeking to minimize the harm we inflict, Cradle to Cradle reframes design as a positive, regenerative force—one that creates footprints to delight in, not lament.

20|20 Experience Center

The 20|20 Experience Center is a valuable meeting point of know-how and skills in the field of Cradle to Cradle. Alongside this, it acts as a showcase for the new way of working and its practical application. Visitors are welcome to come and discover more about Cradle to Cradle and the development of Park 20|20 on weekdays from Tuesday through to Friday. The Center is also available for hire for meetings, conferences and various types of events.

The world's most sustainable office building

OVG Real Estate, the Dutch commercial real estate developer andinvestor, has created the world’s most sustainable office building after itsnewest property was awarded the highest score ever recorded by the BuildingResearch Establishment (BRE), the global assessor of sustainable buildings. TheEdge, located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, achieved a BREEAM new constructioncertification of ‘Outstanding’.

The building is Energy Neutral, collects and uses rainwater, has LEDsthat provide real time data on the efficiency of the building and promotescycling by making it as comfortable as possible to arrive by bike and park it.

Photo: The Edge

Be surprised by the cultural-historic heritage of Amsterdam

Find out more about the reconstruction architecture and art of Amsterdam

The Van Eesterenmuseum let you meet the cultural-historic heritage of the urban planner Cornelis van Eesteren. His work is one of the highlights of the postwar urban planning and architecture in Amsterdam. In New-West, Buitenveldert and parts of Amsterdam North, the interesting spatial plan is still in place.

The Van Eesterenmuseum is the information point about special urban planning. There is a museum outside, a museum inside, and a nineteen fifties museum house. The museum organizes many different walks, excursions, talks and many other activities.