Amsterdam:

building beneath a centuries-old monumental city built on poles

Absorb yourself in Amsterdam. This cosmopolitan city plays its part economically and culturally on the world stage. At the same time the centuries-old monumental centre needs protecting. Innovative multiple space use makes it possible to preserve the city’s heritage in a modern dynamic. A striking example is Oosterdoks Island, where underground space is an integral part of the design. Or the service tunnel around the New Rijksmuseum, which is used for several functions.
Locations:Amsterdam Centraal building excavation, Sixhaven building excavation, Rijksmuseum, dry dock boring machine, Mahlerlaan integrated pipe tunnel and the Oosterdoks Island Library

The Hague:

unsuspected beauty – stations with the allure of a concert hall

 

The Hague systematically opts for spatial quality. Woods and dunes have for centuries characterised the area around The Hague. At the same time the city is the administrative centre of the Netherlands. Accessibility is therefore of crucial importance. The city’s location on the sea makes a ring road all but impossible. So to help the flow of traffic the Netherlands’ longest city tunnel was constructed – the Hubertus Tunnel. This bored tunnel meant that the surface greenery could be kept. A technological tour de force: this was the first time a tunnel had ever been bored in the soft Dutch ground. Another example of spatial quality is public transport station Het Souterrain, which acquired the allure of a concert hall with a variety of functions, public flows and connections.

Locations:Souterrain, Hubertus Tunnel and Sytwende / Northern Ring Road

 

Arnhem:

underground space reconciles the irreconcilable

Arnhem is surrounded by areas of great natural beauty, such as the Veluwe, the Rhine and a push moraine. The provincial capital cherishes this unique location amongst the greenery. Expansion to the outlying area is therefore not an option. The underground space offers a solution. The many striking underground projects have resulted in Arnhem being described as the ‘underground capital of the Netherlands’. The new station area, for instance, is to have an underground car park as the ‘foundations’, including an integrated pipe tunnel as its ‘lifeline’. The ArtEZ College of Art’s theatre has been built entirely underground. And the city provided a new function for historic cellars that had fallen into disuse. Just to mention a few of the many examples.
Locations:ArtEZ Intitute of Art, Arnhem Centraal and historic cellars