New University Building VU Amsterdam
| In collaboration with | Team V Architectuur, Visser & Smit, Boele & van Eesteren, RB Geosurvery |
| Location | Amsterdam |
| Project scope | 31,100 m2 bvo |
High-quality calculations
Team V Architecture designed a stepped building with a floor area of 31,100 m². On the campus side, the building has seven floors, and on De Boelelaan, it has twelve. A spacious atrium forms the heart of the building. The New University Building is a sustainable structure that meets the criteria for the BREEAM-NL Excellent certification. This sustainability is reflected in the design, among other things. By taking the orientation to the sun into account, the energy demand is minimal. The building is also easily adaptable to changing functions, making it durable over its lifespan. ABT advised on realizing the sustainability ambitions and also contributed itself: through advanced calculations, there were significantly fewer transport movements and less construction material was needed.
Pile-slab foundation
An underground parking garage accommodates approximately 600 cars and 1,600 bicycles. A quick scan conducted by ABT revealed that a three-level parking garage founded on steel was very cost-efficient. Subsequently, a detailed excavation and foundation design was created. The garage was modeled as a pile-slab foundation using advanced software. The New University Building is situated on the east side of the parking garage. On the west side, the design took into account the planned construction of the seven-story Alliance Building.
Monitoring
During construction, ABT performed execution checks and conducted quality inspections. Additionally, we coordinated the monitoring of the surrounding environment. We kept an eye on the settlements of adjacent buildings, cables and pipelines, underwater concrete, and the new construction, as well as groundwater, vibrations, and sheet pile deformations.
The New University Building was nominated for the Foundation Project of the Year 2016.
Images © Nico Alsemgeest
