Dutch Building Day proves hotspot for 1,800 people

The first visitors began to arrive early at Mahlerplein on 18 June 2022. Not only from Amsterdam and the surrounding area, but from as far afield as Friesland, Overijssel and Noord-Brabant. Some came to admire the art or architecture in Zuidas whereas others were in search of impressive amounts of steel and concrete.

On two work sites, visitors were able to find out more about our work on the second passenger tunnel at Amsterdam Zuid station and why, starting on 16 July, we are moving metro platforms on line 52 (the North/South line) slightly in the direction of Beethovenstraat. We gave people a look at all of the work that has already been completed but is not normally visible to the public.

From Mahlerplein, electric “trains” transported visitors to their destinations. These included a relatively unknown neighbourhood currently under construction: Kop Zuidas, located to the east of the RAI. Contractor BAM and developer AM guided visitors up to the highest point of Crossover, with its magnificent views across Zuidas. At ground level, designer Alessandro introduced people to another key development, Hogelandplein, which is set to be a meeting place for the entire neighbourhood.

The iconic Valley, the ‘vertical village’ that is set to be transformed into a green valley in the years ahead, attracted plenty of viewers. All the guided tours were fully booked, but visitors still climbed the stairs of this breath-taking building themselves.

In Circl, we explained everything about the development of the Zuidas area and the huge Zuidasdok infrastructure project. In the meantime, various guided tours departed from Mahlerplein: taking in art and architecture, as well as the De Nieuwe Meer interchange and the Zuidas Botanical Garden. There was plenty of space to play both in Mahlerplein itself and on the roof of Student Experience. The cooling breeze on the roof made it the perfect location for it.

Just like every year, the guided tours to the ‘integrated cable and pipeline tunnel’ was booked up the fastest. This tunnel, which runs under much of Mahlerlaan, gives an amazing impression of the ingenious way in which the Zuidas cable and pipeline network has been laid.

The day proved more than successful. In the meantime, we are preparing ourselves for the next set of major works: between 22 July and 3 August, we are removing part of the A10 Zuid and two railway tracks in order to install the foundations for the additional passenger tunnel underneath them. You are warmly invited to visit us at the Zuidas Zomer Keet (Zuidas Summer Shack) in Mahlerplein. Further information will follow.