Park-like appeal for the Ravel residential area

Come and check out the built-up Zuidas – greenery, water, and spaces to stroll and to play. De Wit and his team have succeeded in incorporating all these elements in the design for the public spaces in the Ravel residential area. The process required some notable decisions, such as banning cars from between the residential and office buildings. De Wit: ‘We want to use extensive greenery and water to create a pleasant environment, be it to live, walk, or play, and which is able to cope with a changing climate.’

Various international studies have shown that people exercise more and feel happier if they are in green surroundings. ‘The calls for greater greenery are growing louder in cities all the time’, says De Wit. The experiences with previously created districts, such as Gershwin in the heart of Zuidas, proved useful. ‘That area features plenty of stone, having been designed at a time when much of the space was reserved for cars. However, the amount of traffic was less than expected, but the valuable public spaces were not suitable for any other use. In Ravel, we are doing things very differently.’

Ravel may well become the greenest neighbourhood in Zuidas. No streets for cars, but paths that wind their way through the park-like surroundings to the local buildings. These include The Harmony residential/work complex on Beethovenstraat and the centrally located residential towers, Ravelly and Tic-Tac-Toe. ‘We have opted for a mix of exotic and indigenous plants and trees, distributed organically across the district, as it were’, explains De Wit. ‘That, too, is something we did differently in the past, with several trees of the same species all neatly in a row. This way, Ravel feels much more like a park, which strengthens social cohesion and affinity to the area.’

Water and greenery will therefore enhance people’s experience of the area, while providing space for insects and other animals. With a view to the future, they have an important role to play, says De Wit: ‘Some of the greenery along the footpaths will have a water-retaining function: so-called ‘wadis’. They provide cooling and prevent the sewage system becoming overloaded.’ This is no minor factor in a changing climate with ever-increasing temperatures and more extreme rainfall.

On the north side of the area is a new street, Maurice Ravellaan. Here, the surroundings change from park to city, with a footpath along Ravelgracht, a cycle path, and two-way traffic for cars. De Wit: ‘This will make Ravel part of a larger network; in the future, you will be able to cycle from Amsterdam Zuidoost along Ravellaan and Beethovenstraat to the Amsterdam Zuid station. And from Buitenveldert, meanwhile, you will be able to walk via Ravel to the Beatrix Park. It will certainly not be an isolated, stand-alone neighbourhood. Ravel really will become part of the city.’

The completion of the public spaces of the Ravel residential district will be more or less simultaneous with the completion of the residential, office, and school buildings. In 2026, it will be the turn of the public spaces around the new Kindercampus Zuidas primary school and the Ravelly residential tower. This will be followed by Tic-Tac-Toe in 2027, and in 2028 the areas surrounding The Harmony residential/work complex will be completed.