Designed by Mecanoo, Amstel Design District is a mixed-use development that includes social housing, mid-rent residential spaces, private sector homes, and collective facilities. The 80,000 square meters master plan also provides spaces for creative offices and retail, along with cultural institutions such as the 800 square meters design museum. Located between the highway and the metro line, the project responds to site constraints and concerns about noise pollution by creating a composition of stacked volumes with setbacks. This allows for the creation of comfortable public spaces in between the buildings as pocket parks and plazas.
The new district is designed to become a creative hub, supplying urban dwellers with spaces for entrepreneurship and contributing to the creative and lively atmosphere of the working environment. The district is designed to offer flexible offices and co-working spaces, creative workplaces such as maker spaces, and workshops. To complement this, the scheme also includes a vast array of amenities such as restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues.
The residential experience is also enhanced by the provision of in-between spaces for informal meetings and chance encounters. Mecanoo’s starting point for the development was the understanding of a city as a living room, taking into consideration all aspects of city life. The architects aimed to design a new district that embraces work-life effectiveness for the community with shared spaces for physical fitness, family times, and hobbies.
A green artery comprising extensively planted areas and pocket parks activates the entire district. These spaces provide comfortable spaces for leisure and relaxation for residents, families with children, and young entrepreneurs alike. The working environment also provides “green retreats,” like patios and planted roofs and terraces, to create a connection between office spaces and nature. Green roofs also provide water retention and water buffering while encouraging biodiversity.
The building setbacks extend the public realm spatially to create intimate and iconic public roof destinations. The scheme is designed in line with nature inclusivity, sustainability, and circularity targets. The development integrates adaptability to ensure long-term resiliency, Amstel Design District facilitates new demands from work environments with a dynamic variety of business and collaboration spaces.
Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo has also recently unveiled the design of what will soon become the tallest high-rise ensemble in the city of The Hague in the Netherlands. Dubbed "The Grace,” the project consists of two towers, one at 150 meters high and the other 180 meters, and aims to respond to the growing demand for affordable housing. Another high-rise project by the same office, the Brink Tower in Amsterdam, is currently under construction.
