Design

Amstel III: from office area to mixed urban district

The Paasheuvelweg 26 plot is located on the corner of the Paasheuvelwijk neighbourhood in the Amsterdam-Zuidoost district. The Paasheuvelwijk, together with the Bullewijk and Holterburg district, forms the Amstel III area, which lies between the railway, the A2 motorway, Amsterdam UMC – location AMC, and Arenapoort.
Amsterdam Zuidoost’s residential area is expanding. In the coming years, Amstel III will transform from an office district into a lively urban district where you can live, work and enjoy social activities. Some 5,000 smaller urban residences will be built here through 2027, after which another 10,000 homes could be added. The area will also be home to schools, childcare, catering establishments, health and youth centres, and supermarkets. Sports and leisure parks will also be created along the railway and between the ArenA and Ikea. The area will strongly promote walking, cycling and the use of public transport.

Design

The current office building will be demolished to make way for a 70-metre-high tower. Divided over 20 floors, a total of about 19,500 m2 GFA will be realised, housing 168 residential units, indoor parking, 3,700 m2 of offices and 390 m2 of public facilities. Virtually the entire plot is being developed.

The design is spacious and robust and will be experienced as such in all layers of the design, from the urban volume to the façade material and from the spacious balconies to the interior. The residential units are spacious thanks to the extra-high ceilings and the option of a flexible layout made possible by incorporating minimal corridor space. A cascade of balconies increases the residents’ living space outside the home and the unfinished concrete reveals what the building is made of. The building exudes space and that makes it iconic.

Volume

The new building’s volume is carefully shaped by its surroundings and the neighbouring buildings. The volume is stepped, with a city wall, urban and city centre sides, S, M and L volumes, a surrounding logistics route, a height accent and a human scale. Furthermore, the volume has been shaped by the wind climate, the future square, orientation, sound and sunlight.

The facade columns and floor bands are robustly designed and detailed to stand clear of the volume. The spaciousness of the interior is extended outwards with large outdoor spaces. The balconies vary in size and position on the façade, and the variety of outdoor spaces provide the stepped building volume and contribute to a positive wind climate. The curve between the columns, floor bands and outdoor spaces connects and reinforces the cohesion of the framework.

Unusual façade

The robust framework consists of concrete columns and 80 cm floor bands and will be finished in light grey bush-hammered concrete. Bush-hammered concrete is created by hammering and roughening the concrete to expose its composition and make the aggregate more visible. This gives the building a textured, robust look.

Like a beanstalk, the façade columns unfold into balconies and create sunny outdoor spaces along the façade. The columns are aesthetically designed and have a structural function in supporting the balconies and planters.

The facades run from floor to ceiling and are constructed of clear, high-gloss aluminium profiles. The glazing will be made of highly reflective blue/silver glass.

The combination of the robust bush-hammered concrete framework and the sleek facades in cool colours gives the tower a textured and tough, yet refined appearance.

A mix of functions

The new Paasheuvelweg 26 will be a mixed-use building, bringing together various functions such as living, working and leisure. This promotes efficiency and encourages social interaction between building users and the environment.

The ground floor will have a commercial space for a grocer, butcher or greengrocer, for example. The other corner (south/west) of the building will house a catering facility with a spacious terrace on both sides of the facades.

The 1st and 2nd floors will have 2,350 m2 of office space, with flexible layouts due to the column structure with a grid of 8.1 metres. The generous net height of 4.7 metres and large windows on all sides allow for plenty of natural light, which contributes to a pleasant working environment. The floors can be optimally arranged for both open-plan offices and more traditional office layouts.

The parking garage on the 1st floor can accommodate 26 cars and is accessible by a car lift. This makes the best use of space by eliminating the need for a ramp.

One hundred and sixty-eight rental apartments will be built, in the social and middle segment. Each apartment is approximately 65 m2 and has two bedrooms and private outdoor space. There are three types of apartments: corner apartments, centre apartments and the loft apartments. The loft apartments are located on the ground floor, where the fantastic free height of 4.3 metres allows for an additional mezzanine floor to create extra living space.  The corner and centre apartments will be located from the 3rd – 20th floors of the tower and offer a green view towards Vinkeveen or a view over Amsterdam.

Virtually the entire plot of Paasheuvelweg 26 will be developed. There will be indoor parking for cars and bikes and a road for local traffic around the building. The catering establishment, offices, car park, bicycle parking and entry to the apartments are accessed from the south facade. The municipality wants to create a livelier, more vibrant area at the bottom of the Meibergdreef embankment, which borders the continuous cycle path and pavement connecting the Bullewijk and Holterberg district. The terrace for the catering establishment is also positioned along the south façade, providing liveliness during the day and in the evening.

Collaborating parties

Architect: Elephant B.V.

Structural engineer: Van Rossum Raadgevende Ingenieurs B.V.

Installation consultant: DWA B.V.

Building physics & fire safety: Peutz B.V.

Spatial substantiation: BRO adviseurs in ruimtelijke ordening, economie en milieu B.V. (consultants in spatial planning, economy and environment)

Sustainability

The guidelines of the City of Amsterdam’s Rainwater Ordinance have been applied to the water management. Introduced by the municipality of Amsterdam, this legislative measure aims to reduce the impact of heavy rainfall while encouraging the reuse of rainwater. Rainwater from the new Paasheuvelweg 26 building will be collected entirely locally and used to water the plants/greenery on the balconies and lower roofs.

Each resident has an integrated planter on the balcony. The plants will consist of evergreen ground cover, shrubs and small trees and will require little to no maintenance. Watering will be done using an automatic irrigation system.

The new building meets BENG requirements for residential and non-residential buildings, including triple glazing, solar control glazing, daylight control with presence detection and ventilation control based on CO2 measurements. The new building will be connected to the already installed CHP source of the adjacent The Bridge building. PV panels for the offices will be installed on the high roof.

The building’s spaciousness will make it flexible for future use. The wide 8.1-metre grid and the extra floor height make the building suitable for future changes of function, such as creating housing on the office floors.

Schedule

Environmental permit submission Q2-2025.

Start demolition/construction Q1-2027.

Nieuwsbrieven

Other information

If you would like to be updated on the progress of the project, please enter your particulars below.

You can request specific information about the project via prpaasheuvelweg26@caransa.nl.