As more architects get involved with future transportation schemes, including autonomous on-demand transportation, UNStudio has announced its involvement in a study for a large Dutch scheme.
Commissioned by The Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA), in consultation with the Rijkswaterstraat and Amsterdam City Council, a multidisciplinary team consisting of UNStudio (architects/urban designers), Goudappel Coffeng (mobility consultants), GeoPhy (data specialists) and 2getthere (automated transit systems) has collaborated on a study that examines the future potential of the integration of infrastructure and city development around the area of Amsterdam’s A10 ring road and the Leylaan area.
Currently the A10 ring road in Amsterdam forms a barrier that inhibits connection between the inner and outer parts of the city and renders its immediate surroundings both uninhabitable and unused. As population growth has propelled development further outward from the city centre and along the ring road, an opportunity was identified to integrate the highway and the city in a way that generates new forms of living and improves mobility for future inhabitants.
The result of the study formulates solutions that reconcile the disparate nature of the highway and the city through the injection of new programmes and amenities, alongside improved accessibility, to make the A10 and its surrounding neighbourhoods a desirable destination with a positive presence in the city.
Envisioning how future mobility and urban development can be successfully integrated requires a new toolbox with which the building blocks of the city of tomorrow can be built. The goal of the proposal is twofold:
- A proposition for a new multimodal transport hub located on the intersection between Cornelis Lelyaan and the A10
- New urban developments on both sides of the A10 that link the adjacent neighbourhoods and create a unique new address in Amsterdam.
The Hub, a new mixed-use destination, offers a smooth mobility connection that will allow users to transition between private cars and public transport; from cars run on petrol to electric mobility; from driving to walking and cycling. Offering parking, restaurants and retail, the Hub also includes a stop for the CityPods, a new alternative to mass-public transport. The driverless CityPods provide a direct connection to Amsterdam city centre, improving accessibility while increasing the added value of the Hub and the surrounding area. The Hub is also a charging station for electric mobility and, through the use of locally stored car batteries, will function as an energy supply centre in peak hours for the surrounding neighbourhoods.
We are currently transitioning into an age of on-demand transportation, where in the near future different modes of transport will be blended according to need, environmental impact, rush hour direction, traffic jams and other parameters. With traffic speed on the A10 reduced considerably, traffic volumes managed through innovative solutions such as flexible lanes and the implementation of new road surface and car technology that reduce air and noise pollution, habitation on the A10 will become desirable.
The proposal, which focuses on five new areas in and around the Lelyaan/A10 intersection, will result in the introduction of 8,400 new residential units, in a total built area of 750,000 sq m and a minimum added value of 370m Euro in revenue. The proposal also includes a flexible phasing model that allows development to start today, while anticipating any future market fluctuations.
In addition to the creation of new residential areas, the Amsterdam A10 proposal introduces human-centric urban environments. With underground and above ground connections there will no longer be a prevailing concept of the inner/outer ring. The proposal is premised on streets and pathways that favour pedestrians, a density of people and buildings that create liveliness and a mix of uses and provision of amenities with a robust network of public spaces that allow for a strong social infrastructure and job creation opportunities.
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Nick Myall
News editor
