A' Tower

The project will be the only housing high-rise among a number of office towers in Amsterdam South-East, a large-scale business and entertainment district directly adjacent to Amsterdam Arena. Infrastructure and wide boulevards dominate the area, which becomes deserted when its commercial facilities close due to the lack of nearby housing. Therefore, the tower aims to revitalize its immediate surroundings outside working hours. For the mainly domestic program, the building is assembled from individual levels shifted out of alignment. These shifted stories define the 150 m tower's characteristic contour, breaking the area's highly present wind bursts to allow unobstructed movement of pedestrians and cyclists at street level. To further wind protection, the entrance has been displaced away from the central boulevard. The tower's layered public programs are partially positioned in a 15 m lobby that includes an art gallery, and sports and restaurant facilities, while a cantilevered swimming pool, which features a glass-bottomed floor, floats 15 m above street level. The shifted outline formed by the stacked private residence levels allows for the creation of series of varied typologies within a fixed layout of sizes, ranging from small studios to large six-room apartments. The top levels accommodate seven triplex penthouses with internal voids and Amsterdam's highest roof terraces.

Location
Arena Boulevard
1101 DJ Amsterdam
the Netherlands

Program
Housing, Retail

Size
64.350 m2 

Date of design
2003-2010

Project team
Wiel Arets, Satoru Umehara, Rob Willemse

Collaborators
Bettina Kraus, Yoko Sano, François Steul, Simon Reumers, Aniek Mingels

Client
De Principaal, De Key, Zomers Buiten Exploitatiemaatschappij BV, BAM Vastgoed BV

Consultants
Van Rossum Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV, Cauberg Huygen Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV, BAM Techniek BV, BAM Utiliteitsbouw BV, BAM Woningbouw BV, Permasteelisa Central Europe BV, Peutz BV