New building headquarters Booking.com | Amsterdam

Emblematic capstone of the Oosterdok

At the head of Oosterdokseiland in Amsterdam, the "grand finale" is taking place: the realization of Booking.com's international headquarters. With an area of 72,500 square meters - more than a third of the Oosterdokseiland - this multifunctional building is one of the largest inner-city projects in Western Europe.

For Booking.com, the unique location was the main reason for settling on Oosterdokseiland. The location on the IJ, near the center of Amsterdam and almost on top of Central Station, made this spot perfect for the Amsterdam-based IT company. In 2015, Booking.com came into contact with BPD, the developer of the entire Oosterdokseiland, through the municipality. UNStudio, in the person of Ben van Berkel, became involved in the project as architect and put the first sketches on paper.

Final subplan
"In recent years, Oosterdokseiland has grown into a dynamic place where many hundreds of people come daily to work, live and also go out," says Jeroen Galle, ODE project director on behalf of BPD. About the Booking.com headquarters, he says, "This last subplan is the final piece for the creation of this area, with views over the Oosterdok, the IJ and the old city center." Van Berkel adds, "The design for this fully integrated new city campus provides a multifunctional living and working environment with many public facilities. At the urban level, the building fits seamlessly into the existing street pattern. From the east side, the building forms an emblematic capstone of the Oosterdok."

As much design freedom as possible
In November 2015, Royal HaskoningDHV was added to the team to guide the project to market. "First we drew up the Program of Requirements," says René Karreman of Royal HaskoningDHV. "We allowed the architect as much freedom as possible in his design and only described what the building had to meet. For example, it had to be a sustainable building. It also had to offer sufficient flexibility to integrate a yet-to-be-determined work concept. Furthermore, we drew up starting points for the acoustic, among other things.   
building physical and thermal performance. During the design process, we checked whether the proposals met the set conditions." Royal HaskoningDHV also supervised Booking.com during the contractual process with BPD and provided stakeholder management. Karreman: "This extensive work required a lot of coordination with the municipality and province, among others."

Tech campus
The building's design is based on Booking.com's desire to create a "tech campus. This campus covers approximately 63,500 square meters and provides space for some 4,600 different types of workplaces, various social spaces, co-creation spaces, quiet workplaces, restaurants and a rooftop terrace. The open character of the campus is enhanced by the all-glass facade and two imposing atriums. The building also houses some 7,500 square meters of apartments, 1,500 square meters of public functions on the first floor, bicycle storage for 2,500 bicycles and an expansion of an existing parking garage.

Sustainability
With a BREEAM Excellent design certificate, Booking.com's new headquarters can rightfully call itself a sustainable building. Yet UNStudio does not see sustainability as just technical challenges and solutions. Van Berkel: "For us, sustainability is an integral design task with a strong focus on the well-being of people as users. The design had to have a positive impact on the environment and create a community, both in the building and with the city." From this vision, Van Berkel chose an "active design" with many walking connections and ample attention to light, views, sightlines, (spontaneous) encounters and social interaction. In addition, the spacious office floors offer maximum flexibility. 

Interaction with environment
UNStudio's design also enriches its immediate surroundings and the city. Through the transparent facades, life inside the building interacts with life outside it. For the residents of Amsterdam, the building is especially important because of its public space. The expectation is that a beautiful new and lively square will soon be created, as well as a new vista and route to the Dijksgracht and the Marineterrein.

Guardians of design and quality
Construction of Booking.com's headquarters began in January 2018. Both UNStudio and Royal HaskoningDHV remain involved until completion. UNStudio "monitors" the architectural design,Royal HaskoningDHV the quality and building physics aspects. "We regularly walk around the construction site to check whether the building meets the specified specifications," says Karreman. "After a complex but pleasant design process, we are now going to work together to ensure that a beautiful building will stand here. Not only for the residents and employees of Booking.com, but also for the residents and visitors of Amsterdam."