Park Meadows brings people together

At one of the most notable locations in Zuidas – at the edge of Beatrixpark – the initial contours of Park Meadows are slowly but surely emerging above the construction pit. In 2023, developers Breevast began with the construction of the two iconic residential towers that will be home to 213 apartments. There is a particular role in the design for the plinth (ground floor), which connects the two towers, explains architect Ben van Berkel. The founder of UNStudio, he built up his reputation thanks to the Erasmusbrug bridge and Arnhem Centraal station, among other things, and we asked him how his signature features in Park Meadows, his latest design for Zuidas. ‘I am completely opposed to monofunctional buildings’, he replies firmly. ‘Many residential towers tend to be isolated: people enter the lifts and no-one ever talks to each other. My fervent hope is that the plinth in Park Meadows will be a place where a community can be created and flourish.’

Van Berkel draws his inspiration from countries like South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. ‘We have designed several residential towers in Singapore. One thing you notice is that they mix the functions of buildings much more extensively. The more urban the surroundings, the more important it is to combine functions in that way: you look for ways of bringing people together. Such combinations of functions are more difficult in the Netherlands, as the market is not yet fully ready for that. But nonetheless, the more I am able to mix functions in a design, the more I will do so.’ This is reflected in the various amenities in the transparent plinth at Park Meadows. They will include a lounge, a co-working space, as well as room for hospitality outlets and wellness facilities, and there will also be access to a swimming pool for residents of the western tower. ‘My motivation is to introduce as much “community building” as possible’, says Van Berkel, with a gleam in his eye. ‘Call it social folly.’

The location of Park Meadows, on the edge of Zuidas and Beatrixpark, is rather special. ‘The best of both worlds’, believes Van Berkel. ‘Beatrixpark is one of the prettiest parks in Amsterdam. It was designed by the city council’s first female urban planner, Jakoba Mulder. Despite this, there are many people who are unfamiliar with the park. Unlike Vondelpark, for example, it never gets too busy at weekends or in the summer: there is always ample opportunity to relax here. To the west of Park Meadows is the Prinses Irenebuurt neighbourhood, built in the 1950s and with its own unique character. And then you’re at the outer edge of Zuidas too – a dynamic and lively district that is still very much evolving. I know the area well because UNStudio has designed buildings here in the past (UNStudio Toren and 400 Beethovenstraat, Ed.). Many new homes will be added to Zuidas in the next few years, which I think is a tremendous development that will enhance the area’s liveability and liveliness.’

Van Berkel has sought to incorporate the two sides of Park Meadows – the city and the park, the tranquillity and the vibrancy – into the design. ‘I wanted to enhance both Zuidas and the park. The height of the towers is a nod to Zuidas, and in fact they will come to form a new point of orientation for the district and for the city of Amsterdam as a whole. But if you look more closely, then you will notice that the colours that feature in the towers are very natural. This is a reference to the extension of the landscape. The texture of the outer wall, too, has an important role to play here: it has a staggered design, creating an interplay of light and shade. This is similar to the lovely effect in nature, with trees – their sculpturality is beautifully enhanced. The variability of nature is thus reflected in the exterior of the buildings. With all these differences in texture, the towers will have hundreds of façades, not four.’

Like the combining of functions in a building, this extension of the landscape is an important theme for Van Berkel. ‘What I find so fascinating about it is that you give a building not just one face. And what I seek to achieve is that the building conveys the impression that it has always stood here, in the most natural way, that it feels at home in its landscape. That is my hope.’