ZUIDASDOK
The Zuidasdok project organization has been laying the groundwork to enable the principal building contractor to get off to a flying start. A series of measures in Zuidas will make sure that the site is construction-ready and the area will be equipped for the future. Back in 2012, the Department of Public Works and Water
‘In the case of the Vijfhoek park at the top of Minervalaan,
Management (Rijkswaterstaat), ProRail and the City of
we met with the community to talk about temporary options
Amsterdam, which together form the Zuidasdok project
for parking 2,000 bikes, and the way to combine all this with
organization, already agreed that complex measures necessary
new landscaping activities. But it turns out that in the course
to facilitate the construction of Zuidasdok had to be done
of the discussion an underground bike parking facility with an
and dusted before the principal contractor goes to work in 2017.
even greater capacity would possibly be a much more effective
The project would be guided by two basic rules: the chosen
solution in the long run. Now we’re assessing the financial and
solution had to be long-term and it had to tie in with more
spatial feasibility.’
general area objectives. For Zuidas, it spells a win-win situation.
TREES ACQUISITIONS
Whichever way you look at it, it’s a question of sitting down
The project preparation works for Zuidasdok span a variety of
with local agencies to see what can be done within the
subprojects both small and large. More than 20 are marked on
existing parameters. Apart from Zuidas and other municipal
project manager Herman Groot’s map, including two car parks
organizations like GVB, those agencies include the Amstel,
underneath and next to the current A10 motorway. They’ve got
Gooi en Vecht water board and grid managers Alliander and
to go, Groot explains, and in order to make that possible,
TenneT. ‘But equally important are organizations like the Society
the project organization applied to buy them. ‘We’ve already
for the Protection of Trees’, Groot says. ‘We make arrangements
acquired one car park from the owner, who’s using this as an
with them on how to replant and thereby save valuable trees or,
opportunity to expand and refurbish their office building and
in case they have to be chopped down, to compensate this with
add a new car park.’
new plantings in the area.’ By coordinating efforts at the local level, Zuidas is gaining new input from a wide range of parties.
REROUTING
‘And that’s when you realize that there are more attractive
Cables and pipelines to transport energy, electricity, telecom and
ways to integrate a gas reducing station
drinking water that bisect the tunnel’s trajectory, for example
within a green slope.’ You might even
under Parnassusweg and Beethovenstraat, will be rerouted.
say that Zuidasdok is a driving force
Groot: ‘The new route will run west along Amstelveenseweg
for redevelopment of the area.
and east from Antonio Vivaldistraat.’ From there, it will cut across Beatrixpark. The construction of underground infrastructure will be combined with the creation of new cycle paths so that
The aim of the Zuidasdok project is to maximize car and
the road will have to be blocked off only once. ‘We’re constantly
public transport access to Zuidas and the northern Randstad
coordinating works. Where new office buildings are planned,
area. Sections of the A10 motorway will be widened and
for example, we install empty pipelines in advance. That way,
moved underground and Amsterdam Zuid station will be
we won’t have to open up the site all over again.’
upgraded to serve as a future-proof public transport hub for train, tram, bus and metro services. Zuidasdok feeds into
BIKES
the continued development of Zuidas as a prime residential,
No less of a challenge is the provision of alternative storage
working and recreational location. For further information,
for the thousands of bikes parked at and around the station.
visit www.zuidasdok.nl
Project manager Charlotte Bakker explains how the organization teams up with stakeholders in devising solutions.
Text Eric Burgers | Photography Wouter van Ierssel
19.