In the waters in front of the main entrance of the Central station of Amsterdam (Netherlands), in the part of Prins Hendrikkade, which until July 2018 served as a bus station, the largest bicycles in the capital was built, with approximately 7,000 seats. The parking is located under the surface of the water, more than 9 meters below soil level and 5 below sea level. Although the Dutch are used to skilfully managing the water, the construction of the building has not been without complexity and in order to be able to build the construction in safety, a particular protection and waterproofing system with metal palancole was adopted. Once the work has been created, the protection system has been recovered and the structure has been entirely submerged.
The complex is part of a larger project known as “De entrée“, which aims to redevelop the entire area of the station and the work for the StationiPletin began in 2019 and concluded in 2022 with a cost of approximately 50 million euros.
The design idea of the underwater parking
The underwater bicycle car park was conceived as an eco -sustainable, highly technological and innovative work. As part of the design, to fill the difference in height Present a monumental entrance has been designed with different mobile stairs that accompany the bikes down along a basalt wall conceived as a continuation of the historic wall of the dock.
Despite a main raw entry, the interior of the parking lot is curvilinear and bright thus realizing a contrast that recalls that of oneoysterwith its rough shell and smooth interior. Within this metaphor, the volume with the directional room and the assistance point for bicycles can be seen as the “pearl“In the oyster. This volume, from the shape of a curved and bisse glass rectangle, is in fact located in a central and strategic position, adjacent to the reception and overlooking the entire parking lot.
The project in detail
The architecture studio WURCK He was responsible for architectural design while the main contractor was Max Bögl Nederland BV. To manage the aquatic works was the Beeens Group And in addition to the restoration of the historic walls of the pier in the Oostkom, to allow the navigation companies to move from the intermediate basin, it has dealt with the preparation of temporary piers, the installation of the patlancolas and the handling of the excavation lands.
Once the lateral palancole system has been positioned and the backdrop was possible pump out outside all the water of the canal present with some powerful pumps. By doing this, it was possible to create the foundation audience and start with the elevation of the structure. For the 3 m prefabricated columns in reinforced concrete, a special designIn fact, their shape recalls a drop to recall the unusual context in which the work is located. This form of the columns also has an important implication in structural terms, this, limits the so -called phenomenon of punching of the plates or the phenomenon in which the pillars can “pierce” horizontal plates. A phenomenon that mainly affects the plates subject to important loads as in this case, being the coverage floor loaded by all the waters of the canal including the docks for boats.
Here are the fantastic video in time-laps Published by Municipality of Amsterdam in which all the processes that have been necessary to make this mega-opera can be appreciated.
