De Ceuvel, a Smart Office Park

Office space in the urban area has become unaffordable for creatives in Amsterdam as population and the city continue to grow. When the Amsterdam Municipality opened a competition for development proposal of an abandoned wharf previously used by the shipbuilding industry, a group of architects proposed De Ceuvel as an office park development for creatives. The area was heavily contaminated by the previous manufacturing use that the municipality has strict no digging in the ground for a foundation, sewer and gas pipeline in the area. Thus, De Ceuvel was proposed to reuse old houseboats as the office space for entrepreneurs and creatives. 

This idea won the competition and started the retrofitting process in 2012 with the help of a municipality start-up grant and loan from the bank. With strong partnership between the artists, entrepreneurs, designers and sustainability experts, De Ceuvel successfully built an active community. The community also collaborates with universities and cultivates plants and technology that helps clean the polluted soils. This office park also provides environmental value by closing the cycle of energy and water by recycling the local waste. Today, De Ceuvel is not only used by creative and start ups but also open to visitors as a place that raises awareness and education on sustainable development.

Reference:

van Winden, W., Oskam, I., van den Buuse, D., Schrama, W., & van Dijck, E-J. (2016). Organising smart city projects: lessons from Amsterdam. Hogeschool van Amsterdam.

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