Sustainability

Sustainability

In 2030, Zuidas wishes to be one of the ten most sustainable urban centres in Europe. Sustainability is therefore a key component of all plans. The objective is to create a clean and pleasant human environment. This means that all buildings must meet certain requirements. Assessment systems are used to rate each of the relevant aspects of a building's design and usage. One such system is BREEAM: Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, which was originally devised in the UK. LEED is the American equivalent, developed by the US Green Building Council. Buildings assessed under these systems are awarded a rating (like Silver, Gold or Platinum) based on the location, water usage, energy consumption, materials, interior climate control options and the degree of innovation shown. According to its remit, Zuidas must always strive to achieve the very highest rating: a LEED 'Platinum' or BREEAM 'Excellent'. Doing so will ensure that Zuidas becomes and remains a top international location for both business and residential users. The Zuidas Sustainability Plan elaborates these ambitions to arrive at firm targets.

By moving the infrastructure of the A10 underground, we shall improve air quality and reduce noise. The Dutch Green Building Council, which includes several of the market parties involved in the Ravel development, intends to initiate a full-scale pilot project for sustainable development. All construction will be assessed using the BREEAM system and the ambition is to achieve nothing less than an 'Excellent' rating.

In Zuidas, all cables and pipelines for gas, electricity, telecommunications, water, district heating, shared air conditioning and drainage pass through one tunnel: the 'Integrated Connections Tunnel', which provides easy access to all. This concept is being applied for the first time in the Netherlands. It ensures efficient use of the available underground space and avoids roads having to be dug up when new connections are to be laid or maintenance is required. 

Companies and residents benefit from reduced energy bills thanks to the innovative heating and climate control systems. Zuidas is therefore helping to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. There is even a communal district airconditioning system, in which cold water from the Nieuwe Meer lake is used to bring the cooling water in the closed system to the right temperature at the NUON plant on Amstelveenseweg. Between them, the Nieuwe Meer and the NUON plant provide 72% of the climate control requirement. Once the system is fully operational, it will represent a 75% saving on the electricity required for airconditioning. The City of Amsterdam also encourages the use of underground heat storage in combination with heat exchangers, which does much to reduce CO2 emissions.

Sustainability also calls for the use of suitable, robust materials which are flexible in use and can be recycled at a later date. The public squares of Zuidas are therefore paved with cobblestones rather than clay bricks, the footpaths are of granite, and the roads are surfaced in recyclable asphalt. Many buildings in Zuidas offer a very high degree of flexibility. Because the standard ceiling height is 3.30 metres, offices can readily be converted into homes and vice versa, as and when the need arises.