The ABN AMRO Pavilion currently under construction is unique in the Netherlands: It will be the first practical example of sustainable and circular design. The main object of its circularity is to reduce the impact of the building to the least possible infringement of the world’s raw materials. It aims to be waste-free and resilient, whilst taking into account the recyclability of the materials used. During the project ikbenmooi aided de Architekten Cie. in presentation and design development, 3D modelling and rendering.
The new pavilion will be built at the Mahlerplein on the Zuidas, near the Amsterdam Zuid station and it will be located in front the main building of ABN AMRO. A large glass facade will give the pavilion an open feel and its roof will be covered with earth and grass, thus contributing to the surrounding biodiversity. It will become an attractive, public place to get some fresh air during a break.
Inside the building there will be more than 2000m2 of meeting and work space, as well as a so-called ‘living lab’: a space where the latest innovations will be applied and tested. For example, a part of the facade is made suitable for the application of new materials and facade techniques. The TU Delft was involved from the beginning and will remain in the ‘living lab’ to monitor the experiments and expand. In this way, theory will be continuously tested in practice. It is not inconceivable that the ‘living lab’ will provide a collaboration with startups, which in turn supply innovative ideas, both in the field of innovative collaboration as in construction.
The chosen main construction material is wood. Its life cycle and that of the supporting construction is estimated to be thirty years. In order to allow a timber supplier to reuse it after that period, the pavilion was designed in such a way that it will be easy to take it apart. The wood supplier is in fact no longer a ‘supplier’, but a ‘co-creator’ or ‘co-owner’. The supplier should benefit from regaining the wood after thirty years by being able to easily reuse it again.
In this way every aspect of the building has received particular attention. The use of furniture, its durability, the flexibility and reusability of the interior; the architects tirelessly sought cooperation with new partners, leading to new solutions and aiming to create a new meeting place that is simply more than just a beautiful building. The Paviljoen will be a pioneer in the field of circular economy, wherein the architects facilitate the future as much as possible and allow the future users to further design and develop that future; an ever-propelling process in itself.
