Zuidas Ravel

In the Zuidas Amsterdam development area, the A1 highway, rail tracks and tramlines pass underground through a tunnel. This creates a spatially and programmatically complex junction at the eastern opening of the tunnel - known as the ‘Dock’. Here sports fields are fitted between various development locations. The eastern and western sides of this ‘sport park’ are flanked by the Vivaldi and Ravel development sites. The plans for the northern side of the Dock are at an advanced stage of development, and the Boelegracht canal is being constructed to the south. Even the space beneath the sports fields are being developed with parking garages, to smoothly bridge the 8-metre height difference with the roof of the tunnel.

The various areas all have their own particular dynamic and programming, planning, phasing, development and special requirements. There is a risk that the intervening public spaces could become no more than a collection of incoherent fringe areas. An overarching concept is needed to integrate these diverse and continually changing plans.

Karres en Brands has drawn up a design to ensure the integration and mutual coherence of these areas. The public spaces between the component locations are given a common identity that will form a spatial foundation for the whole district. A hybrid network of spaces in the form of parks and squares engage with the adjacent areas, bridging differences in height, generating activities and linking the Beatrix Park with the southern suburb of Buitenveldert. The spatial network takes the form of plazas, pathways, squares and parks with differing elevations. The topography offers views over the sports fields, regulates accessibility and privacy, creates connections to shopping streets and integrates parking garages and cultural functions.