Where in Zuidas
For years, the plot on the corner of Parnassusweg and Claude Debussylaan was the final section of the heart of Zuidas that remained undeveloped. In the last few months, things have suddenly started happening on the so-called ‘de Boog’ plot that was named after the bend taken by the Amstelveen line until 2019 as it reached Amsterdam Zuid station. On it, the Visser & Smit Bouw and Homij Construction Consortium has started to build the foundations for The CubeHouse, part of which is being built on top of the existing Mahlergarage car park. ‘There’s still very little to see above ground, but all kinds of things are happening underground’, says construction site manager Arnold Petermeijer.
Logistical challenge
We spoke to Petermeijer in a small caravan, because the contractor’s hut on the site was not yet in use at that time. ‘Here, every square metre matters’, he laughs. ‘On one side, the plot borders the Zuidasdok work site (where construction work is being done on the new passenger tunnel for Amsterdam Zuid station, Ed.). Busy Parnassusweg is over there on the other side and we’re also right next to The Rock office building.’ Petermeijer then points to the area below. ‘The Mahlergarage below here has to stay open while we build the foundations on top of it. And don’t forget the delivery of materials in this busy part of Zuidas. In terms of logistics, this project could certainly be described as a challenge.’
75 percent biobased material
The CubeHouse structure will consist of 75 percent biobased material and the use of around 13,000 cubic metres of wood will contribute to the storage of some 9,000 tonnes of CO2. In The CubeHouse, sustainability goes hand-in-hand with energy efficiency. Solar panels integrated into the roof and façade will generate more than 138,000 kWh every year, which equates to 80 percent of the building’s expected energy consumption. Rainwater will be collected and stored on the roof and the greywater system will use rainwater to flush toilets and irrigate the green roof garden.
Concrete structure
Petermeijer expects it will take until summer 2024 to build the foundations and the plinth (ground floor) of The CubeHouse, which consists of a concrete structure. Over the recent period, protruding parts of the roof of the Mahlergarage car park have been ground down and the area underground has been cleared of cables and pipelines. From mid-January, the contractor will start drilling foundation piles (without vibration) and making footings (concrete support structures). The existing columns in the Mahlergarage also need to be made thicker because they will soon have to support a heavier weight. ‘On the ground floor, we’ll soon start building slanted columns with tapered ends’, says Petermeijer as he points to his screen showing an impression of the building. ‘The concrete structure is being poured in situ: nothing is prefabricated. That makes it relatively more time-consuming.’
Lego kit
The transition from the ground floor to the first floor is being achieved by means of a steel structure weighing 60 tonnes that will be delivered here in sections and put together on location. ‘The wood construction starts from the first floor and will be like a Lego kit’, explains Petermeijer. ‘The wood comes in ready-to-use sections from a supplier in Austria and when we reach that stage, there will be four or five trucks arriving here every day.’ Floors, columns and beams: virtually everything in The CubeHouse will be built from so-called Cross Laminated Timber. Petermeijer: ‘In the centre, a concrete core will provide stability. It will be a kind of super-column that we’ll build using climbing formwork. The lift will be inside it.’
All is light in The CubeHouse
Ultimately, The CubeHouse will reach thirteen floors and have a façade made of aluminium elements that are easy to click together. ‘Of course, they include a lot of glass. In many respects, this will be a light building: The CubeHouse will remain lightweight due to its wooden construction and because of the glass, a lot of daylight will penetrate the façade. The wooden frame of the building really will actually be transparent from all sides.’
Parties involved and schedule
The CubeHouse has been designed by New York-based architects’ firm SO-IL. Covering approximately 16,360 sq. m., the office building will have a public roof garden and a large covered bicycle. The CubeHouse is BREEAM Excellent and WELL Gold certified. At the end of 2025, engineering consultancy Arcadis and BNP Paribas is expected to relocate its head offices to The CubeHouse, which has been acquired by a.s.r. real estate for the ASR Dutch Mobility Office Fund.
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