In February, Amsterdam saw the opening of a new underwater bicycle parking facility. Located in the heart of the city—next to Amsterdam Central Station and under the river IJ (Amsterdam’s waterfront)—the facility, dubbed IJboulevard, has parking spots for over 4,000 bicycles, freeing up space on the street.
Designed by VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism, along with Van Hattum en Blankevoort and DS Landscape Architects, IJboulevard also has created 6,000 square meters (64,583 sf) of new public space above the bike parking facility. The parking facility’s roof serves as a new walkway and gathering space along the river IJ, while also providing seating areas and views of the water.
The bicycle parking facility’s interior design features flowing lines and rounded shapes intended to create a warm, inviting feel. Wooden walls, subtle lighting, and a calm color palette provide clarity and orientation. The use of the same dark gray natural stone on both the pedestrian boulevard and the facility’s entrances provides a seamless transition between the interior and exterior spaces.
The stairwells’ large glass surfaces bring in natural light and allow pedestrians on the walkway to see inside the facility. And the column-free design and the prominent placement of the manager’s office help users feel safe.
The eco-friendly design integrates low-energy consumption and sustainable materials. IJboulevard also incorporates features that mimic natural habitats to promote biodiversity and support aquatic life. To improve the health of the river, the design includes bio huts, wood, coconut mats, and porous concrete between the underwater pile supports—offering a habitat for aquatic plants to feed and shelter.
On the Building Team:
Design architect: VenhoevenCS
Landscape architect: DS Landschapsarchitecten
Main contractor: Van Hattum en Blankevoort
Structural engineer: VolkerWessels Infra Competence Centre
MEP: Homij Technische Installaties
Building physics: Buro Bouwfysica
Wayfinding and pedestrian flow consultant: Royal HaskoningDHV
Related Stories
| Nov 18, 2014
New tool helps developers, contractors identify geographic risk for construction
The new interactive tool from Aon Risk Solutions provides real-time updates pertaining to the risk climate of municipalities across the U.S.
| Nov 3, 2014
IIT names winners of inaugural Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize
Herzog & de Meuron's iconic 1111 Lincoln Road parking garage in Miami Beach, Fla., is one of two winners of the $50,000 architectural prize.
| Oct 29, 2014
Better guidance for appraising green buildings is steadily emerging
The Appraisal Foundation is striving to improve appraisers’ understanding of green valuation.
| Oct 16, 2014
Henning Larsen Architects to design train station for planned Danish town
Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects won Frederikssung municipality’s architecture competition for a regional train station in the planned city of Vinge—Denmark’s largest urban development.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Oct 3, 2014
New survey tracks Americans’ attitudes towards transit use
A record 10.7 billion rides were taken on public transit in the United States last year. And a national survey of Americans finds that the speed, reliability, and cost, more than any other factors, determine people’s willingness and frequency of use.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 24, 2014
Federal Highway Administration to release design manual for protected bike lanes
The guidelines will cover the pros and cons of different intersection designs and types of protection.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
