Where in Zuidas
The steel upright supports stick out above the existing floors of the EDGE Stadium forming a framework. Although it might now be difficult to imagine, they will soon be fitted with façades and roofs, creating completely new floors. Both wings of the office building will have an additional floor and the so-called copper heart will actually have two. ‘It’s quite a challenge, because the current foundations would not be capable of taking much more than the existing building. If you want to build on top of that, it needs to be lightweight construction. We’re achieving that partly by using wood’, explains Bo Gall, planning engineer at G&S bouw. He points towards a stack of wooden sheets that are being hoisted up by a crane. ‘It may feel crazy having wooden floors. We’re really used to working with steel and concrete. But it’s actually a very sustainable construction method that’s becoming increasingly widespread.’
No easy feat
Upgrading a twenty-year old building to enable it to withstand at least another twenty years is certainly no easy feat. The building in Fred. Roeskestraat has to keep its unique identity while also meeting state-of-the-art sustainability standards. This is a challenge that developer EDGE is taking on with relish. When the building was completed in 2000 – then known as Forum – it was ground-breaking in various respects. The current plans remain ambitious, including the addition of around 10,000 sq. m. of office space and as much reuse of materials as possible. The developer is also aiming to achieve a high WELL certification rating, a construction standard that focuses on the health and well-being of future users of the building.
Turkish travertine
All of this means that the look and feel of EDGE Stadium will remain as far as possible intact, and this is revealed in some of the finer details. We join Gall on a tour around the side of one of the wings of the building. The workers are currently busy adding natural stone to the walls of the new floors. ‘The stone is exactly the same as on the existing floors. Natural stone from a quarry in Turkey, Turkish travertine’, says Gall. ‘Twenty years ago, the stone was still split by hand, and, of course, the stone on the existing buildings is slightly weathered after all those years. But the difference is still minimal.’
Sliding doors
Another similar detail: the numerous sliding doors in the office building. Most of these are being repositioned, taking on the role of windows, with a view over the atrium. ‘For that reason, all the hardware has to be removed. After all, they no longer need to slide open’, explains Gall. ‘We’re removing all of these sliding doors and then they’re going to the factory. They’ll have the locks removed and be repainted. It’s very labour-intensive, but the final result is satisfying.’ Almost all of the materials in the building are being reused in this way. Edge is posting anything that cannot be reused on Beelen NEXT, an online marketplace for construction materials. The huge wooden beams and columns that supported the original roof have been used in the east of the country to build riding stables.
Atrium
The real eye-catcher at the EDGE Stadium is and will remain the atrium – a huge open space with the wings on either side and the characteristic copper heart at the centre. The atrium will be made slightly smaller, mainly as a result of the wings being moved inwards. The new roof will be completely made of glass, creating even more light. There will be a footbridge and lots of greenery, intended to make it all feel intimate. Gall: ‘Although in terms of square metres the atrium will be slightly smaller, it will be lighter and more playful. You’ll also have more office floor space.’ We slowly walk towards the front, where the building is being extended with a glass annex. Glass was deliberately chosen – it makes the building airier and lighter and the heart-shaped copper façade behind it remains clearly visible. Gall points towards the other side of the road, where EDGE is based at EDGE Olympic. ‘That’s quite funny, don’t you think? The developer is literally watching developments.’
Text: Iris Cohen
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