The Tripolis-complex is already being put to good use. Company such as Uber and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek have offices in the white ‘landscraper’ and in the monumental towers Tripolis 200 and 300. Social rented housing was originally planned for Tripolis 100, the last of the three towers. However, following extensive investigations, the intended transformation was found not to be feasible. The building will again be put to use as office accommodation.
Complex transformation
In 2022, the then tenants vacated the building to enable the office accommodation to be transformed into social rented housing. Developer Flow came up with a draft design that had to take account of the building’s status as a listed monument and its unusual shape – which was never designed for use as housing – while also ensuring that noise levels were acceptable because of the A10 next to it.
Utmost efforts
To help shape the housing plans, we worked closely with housing corporations Stadgenoot and Rochdale. Over the past few years, we’ve also brought in various expert consultants and consulted with the North Sea Canal Area Environmental Agency about a draft application for an environmental permit to enable construction. Options for a different approach to the design were also explored, combining housing in the lower floors with offices higher up, where the noise disruption is at its most intense.
Status as a listed monument
Despite all these efforts, partial transformation into social rented housing turned out not to be feasible. This was not only due to the increasing cost of construction but also the listed monument status. It turns out that the noise-reduction measures required cannot easily be reconciled with the status of the complex as a listed monument.
Plans for Sporthallen Zuid sports complex shelved
Finally, scrapping the plans to build hundreds of homes on the Sporthallen Zuid was also a factor in the decision not to build housing in Tripolis 100. The idea was that relocating the Sporthallen Zuid sports complex in a stacked building would create noise-reducing barrier, enabling a residential neighbourhood to be developed. However, the fact that the plans for a stacked sports complex have now been scrapped means that the residential neighbourhood will no longer be possible, making the option of developing homes in Tripolis 100 less attractive.
State-of-the-art renovation
The leaseholder has recently made limited investments to enable Tripolis to be put to use as office accommodation again. However, the long-term intention is to raise the quality of the building to the level of the other two towers – which means that a state-of-the-art renovation is yet to follow. In addition, the leaseholder and the City of Amsterdam are still discussing options for the use of the plinth for commercial or other activities for added vibrancy.
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