Velo is a new-build project immediately adjacent to Amsterdam Sloterdijk railway and metro station. The large-scale city block comprises over three hundred homes in social and mid-range price segments, business premises, and public bicycle storage. In the building’s design, Diederendirrix, Civic Public Architecture, and Delva Landscape Architects have linked extreme densification with extreme ‘greening’.

A complicated design issue

The area around Amsterdam Sloterdijk railway and metro station is experiencing a rapid transformation and the urban district, initially comprising mostly office locations, is becoming increasingly mixed. The project location, the L Midden site, was one of the last remaining empty sites in the Teleport office area. The ambition was to create a sustainable and lively living and working environment with international allure located immediately adjacent to the station and railway lines to and from Amsterdam Central Station. It represented a complex design issue. There is extreme noise load around the location, plus the area is surrounded by existing offices and schools. Uniting the requirements and preferences of three different clients – Alliantie Ontwikkeling, Amsterdam local authority, and NS/ProRail – was nothing short of a challenge, as was the request for the design being a collaboration of young architects. Diederendirrix was responsible for both the design of the building and the interior of the bicycle storage facility as well as for overall design coordination with all parties concerned.

A building as a landscape

The challenge of intense densification requires smart typological principles. The building volume is a graduated block surrounding a sheltered communal courtyard area. The high back, stretching to around 60 metres and facing the railway, shields most of the noise. The low building section on the south side allows maximum daylight to shine through into the courtyard. The block is divided into four equal units, each with its own address and unique architecture. In total, the project comprises 390 rental homes in the social and mid-range price segments, all realised on a plinth together with business premises and public bicycle storage for more than 4,000 bicycles (for public transport users).

From the public space, cut-outs cut across the building to allow a glimpse into the green inner world. The graduated structure and narrow vistas are planted as a nod to Alpine valleys. A large vertical landscape connects the public area to private balconies and terraces via collective outdoor spaces. The landscape design is a collaboration with Delva, Hollands Groen (design and advice for outdoor spaces), and the Amsterdam local authority.

Urban interior

The vast scale of the block is nuanced by the human scale of the substructure – town houses, commercial spaces, and a communal ‘living room’ for residents in the plinth all face the street. The communal spaces include a kitchen, lounge area, laundry facilities, workspaces, and a winter garden.

The bicycle storage with service point is located on the ground floor and in the basement. This urban interior is interwoven with the green vertical landscape and inner garden by means of roof lights, voids, stairs, and large windows. Daylight enters deep into the space from various sides. Spacious entrances and a clear structure and routing help to streamline use. The bicycle storage can be expanded above ground and below, anticipating multiple future scenarios for Sloterdijk station.

The interior design of the bicycle storage comprises a visible concrete shell with wooden column and wall cladding into which all installations are integrated. Coloured surfaces on ceilings and lines on the floor help to support orientation. Part of the bicycle storage is designed as a ‘shop window’ where large windows offer a view onto the station, and vice versa. Commercial functions can be added to this space, which is also part of our adaptive design strategy.

Sustainable internal expansion and greening

The design of the residential complex combines extreme densification with extreme greening. The site covers 4,800 m², on which over 34,500 m² of floor space is created as well as 1,400 m² of planting, which will include 50 trees. To irrigate the planting, and to take the water load away from the roads during heavy showers, there is a large water buffer underneath the courtyard.

The greenery and building have been designed with more than just people in mind. While there is ample space for sunbathing, recreation, eating together, and growing fruit and vegetables, there is also space for insects, birds, and bats as well. The planting is tailored to local growing conditions and added ecological value – think the production of nectar. The façades also contain a hundred nest boxes and bat houses.

Successful collaboration pays off

Velo is the result of a major, combined effort by passionate designers and enthusiastic consultants. The only route to success was a simultaneous and holistic approach to the numerous sub-tasks of the project. The active involvement of all stakeholders during the design process was ultimately crucial to accomplishing the intended results.

The four building sections were designed by a team of four architects: three designers from diederendirrix and one from Civil Public Architecture. This has helped to create a harmonious palette of four distinct façades. They are packed full of lavish gestures to enhance the interplay between public and private space. The facades are clad in brick and concrete, materials that can stand the test of time and that age gracefully. Velo brings life and colour to Sloterdijk.