July 15, 2019

New Development Vision

In recent years, Amsterdam Science Park has developed into a successful campus with educational institutions, research laboratories and related companies that are among the international top in the science arena. The landowners in the area are the University of Amsterdam (UvA), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the City of Amsterdam. The three landowners have carried out an interim assessment, concluding that the area continues to offer great promise for the future and still offers plenty of scope for further development within its borders. By means of the Amsterdam Science Park Development Vision, they  intend to guide the way in which the campus continues to develop physically in the years ahead. This builds on the previous Amsterdam Science Park Master Plan from 2003.

Ambitions

The Development Vision has four ambitions for the further development of the campus. The ‘Colouring’ ambition focuses on adding more education, facilities and spatial qualities in the area and possibly also residential facilities, to make the campus an even more vibrant melting pot of education, research and enterprise. The ‘Compacting’ ambition is linked to the addition of a new building programme to provide a higher building density. There is also a great need for additional space for education, research and start-ups. The third ambition involves ‘Connecting’ and focuses on improving connections within the area and to the rest of the city. The ‘Campus sustainability’ ambition in the areas of construction, energy, water, greenery and mobility is an important all-encompassing one.

Proposals

The Development Vision contains a number of proposals for the area. Some of the main ones are set out below:

  • Around Kruislaan, the three landowners wish to create a ‘campus centre’. Starting from the heart of the campus, new buildings for education, laboratories, technology companies, meetings and other facilities will be built on vacant plots. In the process, the parties will examine whether a leading (perhaps international) partner could establish itself here.
  • There will be additional facilities aimed at making the campus more attractive, such as sports, catering, conference facilities and temporary initiatives.
  • Another aim is to add housing for researchers and students, for example. Further consideration will be given to how this can be integrated into the area without detracting from the ambitions of existing and future institutes and companies.
  • The issue of Kruislaan as a barrier between the eastern and western parts of Amsterdam Science Park will be resolved by making it into a shared space, for example.
  • Routes for cyclists and walkers within the area and to the surrounding neighbourhoods will be improved and made more appealing. Particular attention will be paid to the barrier effect of the former Kruislaan and the quality of the Kruislaan tunnel (underneath the railway).
  • A mobility strategy is being drawn up based on the principle that slow traffic and public transport should be given priority in all respects in the further development. In the context of decreasing car traffic in Amsterdam ( the Amsterdam autoluw initiative), the usefulness of and need for a better connection of the campus to the A10 ring road will also be examined.
  • The campus will be developed in a sustainable manner, with a focus on aspects such as energy savings, reuse of heat in the environment, ecology, circular construction and climate adaptation.
  • A number of strategically located sites will focus on high-rise accents.

Approval by the municipality

The board of mayor and aldermen are accord with Development Vision Amsterdam Science Park. The Development Vision is drawn up by the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the municipality. With the Development Vision Amsterdam Science Park, the 3 landowners made plans and agreements about the joint further development of the area. Local residents have contributed ideas about the plans. You can request the document by sending an email to s.dehaas@amsterdam.nl or marije.van.den.berg@amsterdam.nl

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