Munthof | Amsterdam

Monumental parking garage becomes future-proof work environment

In one of Amsterdam's busiest entertainment areas, the Reguliersdwarsstraat, developing builder Van Wijnen is putting the finishing touches on the renovation and transformation of Munthof. Van Wijnen is turning this monumental building, consisting largely of parking levels, into a pleasant place to work.

Munthof was built between 1966 and 1969 as a parking garage, with five parking and two office floors. Responding to Amsterdam's desire to make the city center car-free, Van Wijnen converted three parking levels - including the wokkel-shaped parking ramp, into office floors. The existing office floors once again meet the requirements of today and tomorrow. At the same time, the monumental character has been restored as far as possible. The original colors, monument green and liver brown with white bands, have been brought back and the new aluminum facades have a sixties look. Van Wijnen is providing the upper parking level, the flat roof, with a superstructure with an office function.

Label jump
Work began at the beginning of April this year. After asbestos remediation and demolition work, Van Wijnen converted the parking level on the fourth floor into an office function, including entrance halls and pantries. This was followed by the renovation of the existing office floors on the third and second floors. "On the office floors, we applied a variety of energy-saving measures," says Rembrandt Freitag, project supervisor at Van Wijnen. "For example, we insulated the floors, facades and walls. We also applied solar control triple glazing, LED lighting and solar panels. Climate ceilings, cooled and heated via two heat pumps, ensure a pleasant and easily manageable climate." Van Wijnen also used recycled materials. The acoustic spray work on the ceiling consists of old newspaper clippings. With the large-scale intervention, the building makes a substantial label jump from G to A+.

Image: Buro JP.

Striking roof structure
The final piece of the work consists of the roof structure: a striking glass structure topped with a green roof as a water buffer. Freitag: "The anything but standard shape, with all kinds of curves, made us want to make the modeled steel, glass and roof in BIM. And with a glass façade weighing three to four hundred kilograms per pane, assembly was also quite a challenge. The structure is now wind and watertight. We are now working on the spectacular ceiling, consisting of triangles that sink through the steel structure."

Smart logistics solutions
Complex logistics are a common thread running through this inner-city project. There is virtually no construction site and the busy nightlife around the building continues as usual. Says Freitag, "To minimize traffic and the nightlife crowd, and to ensure their safety, we plan all the work meticulously. During certain works we deploy traffic controllers." The complex location also requires smart practical solutions. For example, work on the facade of the upper floors took place from suspended platforms instead of scaffolding. Supplies were delivered via the old, wokkel-shaped parking entrance. The steel structure for the superstructure was assembled with a "gecko crane" positioned on the roof. The glass for the superstructure was placed on the roof using a truck-mounted crane with glass suckers across the road.

Building together
"Such a challenging project stands or falls with good cooperation and communication," Freitag continued. "Thanks in part to excellent consultation and coordination with real estate company Cushman & Wakefield and our ancillary and subcontractors, as well as with the users of the surrounding properties, we are building a pleasant and future-proof work environment at this special location."