Where in Zuidas
A great deal of work has been done on and around Crossover in recent months and the results are clearly visible. The nine office floors on one side of the building and six floors of housing on the other are as solid as a rock. ‘We’ve removed the scaffolding from the inside of the housing section’, says Paul Spaargaren, project manager at contractor BAM. ‘The roof covering is in place. We now need to add insulation, followed by the landscaping of the roof gardens. On the roofs of the tiered parts of the housing section, there will soon be city gardens accessible to the building’s residents.’
Crane and courtyard garden
Currently, there is still a massive crane towering above the housing section, protruding diagonally through the roof. This will be dismantled in mid-October. ‘The crane has foundations in the underground car park and protrudes through a gap in the roof. Once the crane has been removed, we will close that gap.’ However, there is still a similar opening in the roof of the housing section. ‘That’s set to stay’, says Spaargaren. ‘Daylight can penetrate through it into the courtyard garden, which will be planted up by residents. The building is right next to the A10, which means the houses don’t have windows that open on the motorway side. These homes are orientated around the inner façade.’
Exciting blend
Crossover promises to be an exciting blend of housing, employment and amenities. The ground floor – which connects the office section with the housing part – will be home to hospitality and catering and provide space for civic and social amenities. The 120 social rented apartments in Crossover include 60 for student first-timers and 60 for refugees with residence permits. We explained this concept in detail in an earlier report. There will also be ten owner-occupied apartments in the complex.
Finishing work and brick façade
Finishing work has started in both the housing and office sections: this includes positioning interior walls, systems and installations. Work has also started adding the characteristic brick façade to the building. Spaargaren: ‘The bricks were specially made for Crossover and contain over 50% recycled waste, originally from old toilets, roof panels and tiles.’ The contractor is applying the façade from the top down – there is no specific reason for this order – and expects to reach the bottom by the end of the year.
Schedule
In January, natural stone will be added to the central entrance, after which much of February and March will be spent checking the systems. The finishing work will also be done on the roof gardens and terraces. In addition to the roof gardens on the housing section, the office tower will also have large green terraces. On the floor that connects the two parts of the building, there will be a lot of planting. Crossover is scheduled for completion in mid-2023.
Give your opinion