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

Energy network company Alliander has invited De Zwarte Hond to design new premises for network operator Liander, technical specialist Qirion and measurement company Kenter in the port area of Amsterdam Sloterdijk.

Together with Copper8, sustainability ambitions have been formulated especially for Alliander and this project, which are reflected in the design in the high degree of flexibility, scalability and modularity. This will make the design adaptable, efficient and resilient into the future. For the office building and training facilities, a flexible wooden construction has been designed that also creates a healthy working environment. The parking garage can grow or shrink thanks to a demountable construction design. The weather-resistant steel façades are also designed to be demountable, and are partly made from locally harvested materials.

The landscape plan for the space on and around the buildings is inviting for humans and animals. The rich vegetation provides a habitat for insects, birds, amphibians and small mammals. Rainwater is stored on site and used for watering. With this design therefore, Alliander is also contributing to a climate-adaptive and nature-inclusive environment.

details

Project
Liander Westpoort
Location
Amsterdam, NL
Size
21.000 m²
Period
2020
Client
Alliander
Discipline
Architecture
Program
Work
Status
Development Phase
Photography
Scagliola Brakkee
Partners
DGMR, Coare Architectuur, IMD Raadgevende Ingenieurs, De Urbanisten
More info
bd@dezwartehond.nl