Liander Westpoort

Amsterdam, NL

How to make new industrial architecture?

Amsterdam

Liander Westpoort

Photo: Gemeente Amsterdam

The City of Amsterdam has a serious space shortage and is looking for business locations that can be redeveloped into housing. One such is the location on Spaklerweg in Amsterdam Amstel, where Liander has been housed for more than 100 years.

After a joint search, the city and network operator have found a suitable plot for a new building in the Sloterdijk 3 port area. Liander Westpoort, as the location will be called, will offer space for offices, training facilities, workshops, storage and test areas.

De Zwarte Hond has translated the functional requirements and aspirations for the new location into an extremely resilient design, which takes account of Liander’s possibly changing future needs.

The design consists of a rhythmic alternation of buildings with spaces in between, which are positioned on the plot like a barcode. At the top, the office forms a height accent and is therefore visible from the A5 motorway. Its wooden construction helps to create a healthy working environment.

Liander Westpoort also stands out for its equal attention to all parts of the programme. Workshops and storage areas have been designed with the same care as the office building and are welded together into a robust and impressive whole. The plan thus evokes memories of the heyday of industrial architecture, but with an underlying sustainability ambition that is entirely focused on the future. At the same time, the building is cost-efficient, by building compactly, limiting the façade surface and focusing on the reuse of materials.

Green and nature inclusive

Sustainable energy and gas-free

Emission-free mobility and clean air

Circular construction

Waste

Rainwater collection

Liander Westpoort

Commissioned by energy network company Alliander, De Zwarte Hond designed the new regional offices 'Liander Westpoort', located in the port area of Amsterdam and consisting of an office building, workshops, warehouses, test facilities, an educational- and parking building.

Together with client Alliander, IMd, Copper8 and DGMR, De Zwarte Hond formulated the sustainability ambitions resulting in high flexibility, scalability and modularity. The office building and training facilities have an all-timber construction, designed to be flexible and create a healthy working environment. Thanks to its detachable structural set-up the parking building can grow or shrink. The facades are made of weather-resistant Corten steel. This makes the regional office resilient for the future.

The buildings are positioned with rhythmic alternations on the plot like a barcode, with the office building as a height accent, visible from the A5. All parts of the programme got equal attention. Work buildings and storage areas have been designed with the same care as the office building and together they form a robust ensemble. It evokes memories of industrial architecture’s peak moments.

The large atrium with its wooden central staircases creates an environment that encourages meetings and interactions. An example of sustainability, the building is gas-free and energy-neutral, contributing to a circular economy. A biodiverse landscape plan is inviting to people and animals. Rich planting around and on the buildings provides a habitat for insects, birds, amphibians and small mammals.