Amsterdam's business district 'Zuidas' gets a big overhaul the next couple of years.
Zuidasdok
What is the goal of the project?
Zuidas – literally, the “southern axis” – is an area strategically situated between Amsterdam city centre and Schiphol Airport. With its high concentration of businesses, public institutions and housing, this is a dynamic new part of the Dutch capital. Already a high-profile international business district and a centre of research and education, Zuidas is now evolving into a fully-fledged urban hub – a place to live, work and play. Furthermore, we will also see work start on the most important infrastructure project in the entire Amsterdam Metropolitan Area: Zuidasdok.
What is the result of the project?
Accessibility is an important issue in Zuidas. It is both the strength and the biggest challenge in the coming years because at times it is quite busy and improvements are often preceded by a temporary deterioration in access.
Zuidas provides an excellent residential environment, with ample hotel and leisure facilities. Nearly 2000 housing units have already been built. By 2030, there should be a total of 7,000 homes, as diverse as Amsterdam itself. Studio apartmens, student housing, mid-price and social housing and penthouses with panoramic views. The ambition is to make the Zuidas a popular residential area where we pay special attention to the human dimension in architecture and green design of public space. Zuidas will be transformed into a well-rounded and unique Amsterdam quarter including schools (international and Dutch), cafés and restaurants, sports centres and a growing number of retail outlets, convenience stores and other amenities, events and exhibitions.
Zuidas is best known as a top-level international knowledge and business centre. Over 700 companies, many of them leading names, are already established here. They include Google, AkzoNobel and ABN AMRO. While the district's main focus is the financial, legal and business services sector, these sterling names are attracting an increasing number of companies from other sectors to Zuidas.
Who initiated the project and which organizations are involved?
Zuidasdok
What is the next step?
In 2019, we will launch the Zuidasdok project. This will involve the widening
of the southern section of the A10, creating tunnels for part of this motorway and upgrading the Amsterdam Zuid railway station.
What can other cities learn from your project?
The disruption caused by building work is a real issue. In response it has been agreed with contractors that new projects will always use low-noise construction methods. For example, screw piles and press-in piles rather than traditional techniques like hammer and vibratory pile-driving.
