Sale of luxury 'rooms with a view' in City Campus on Oosterdok Island to start soon

Construction of the City Campus, Booking.com's prestigious new headquarters on Amsterdam's Oosterdokseiland, is making steady progress. With the completion of this spectacular, multifunctional building, scheduled for spring 2022, the realization of one of the largest inner-city projects in Western Europe will be a reality. The sale of over forty exclusive apartments in a building with allure will start soon. 

Much has been said and written about the development and creation of Oosterdok Island. It is therefore a daring feat. Right next to Central Station, the historic city center and the IJ River, a completely new city is in fact rising up, where living, working and recreation go hand in hand. In total, the capital is being expanded here by 225,000 square meters, of which the capstone, the City Campus, accounts for no less than 72,500. Of these, 7,500 square meters are reserved for sustainable, high-end apartments with über-modern design, sublime light, private parking spaces and home automation, or smart technology in the home.

Dynamic place

In recent years, Oosterdokseiland, popularly known as ODE, has become a dynamic place where hundreds of people come daily to work, live and go out - the latter at least for the corona era. There are stores, popular restaurants and terraces overlooking the Oosterdok, the IJ and the old city center. A promenade has been built along the quay, acting as a "stepping stone" to the adjacent Marine Park.

ODE not only provides the backdrop for companies such as TomTom, Adyen and Takeaway, but the Amsterdam Public Library and Conservatory are also located at this special location, as is the 4-star Double Tree by Hilton Hotel. And before long, the curtain will rise here for Booking.com, which will move into the City Campus with some 5,000 employees from all over the world.

An important part of that City Campus is the more than forty apartments to be realized in this residential tower. "It is precisely this residential component that ensures that this building comes to life, that it becomes part of the vibrant city that lies at your feet here," says project director Jeroen Galle on behalf of area developer and client BPD. "It should not become an office building where no lights are on at night."

Urban ensemble

The location of the apartments, which all fall in the higher segment, was well thought out. Galle: "The entire Oosterdokseiland forms an urban ensemble, so to speak; each building has its own urban programming. That implies that the office program of the City Campus is located on the north, east and west sides of the building, and the residential on the south side." That choice, aside from the fact that the rail line runs on the north side, also has to do with energy demand, the project director explains. "Living requires heating, while offices require cooling. With our advanced energy installations, we heat and cool the building in a very sustainable way. We have also installed some 1,500 solar panels on the roof. Thus, all apartments have underfloor heating and cooling, and the offices have high-quality installation through the same collective energy facilities. "   

Church towers

The master plan for ODE was designed by Designed by Erick van Egeraat of Rotterdam. A team of eleven nationally and internationally renowned architects provided the architectural elaboration of this master plan. For lots 5b and 6, where the Booking.com office plus apartments will be built, UNStudio created the design for this striking glass building. Special detail: the glass here is positioned so that the water of the Oosterdok is reflected in the facade. The future residents also have a view of no less than 180 degrees over the city. "They can see all of Amsterdam's famous church towers from their windows," says Galle.

The high-quality apartments finished with natural materials are spread over nine residential floors and range in living area from 67 to 298 square meters. There will be urban pied-à-terres and spacious apartments spread over two floors. Although the layout is fixed, buying hulls is an option, as is finishing an apartment yourself. Two of the total of 42 apartments can be linked to form one large apartment.

Home automation

Thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, the light in the living rooms is optimal. Not only do all the apartments have the same magnificent "view" of Amsterdam's city center, they are also equipped with smart technology to increase the residents' living comfort. Using your phone to switch on your espresso machine or turn on the lights becomes, thanks to home automation, a piece of cake.

The building's design is based on Booking.com's desire to create a "tech campus. The City Campus provides space for some 4,600 different types of workplaces, various social spaces, co-creation spaces, quiet workplaces, restaurants and a beautiful roof terrace. The transparent character is enhanced by the all-glass facade and two imposing atriums. In addition to the apartments, the building contains 1,500 square meters of public functions on the first floor, a bicycle storage for 2,500 bicycles and an extension of the existing parking garage, with electric charging stations for residents.

Post CS building

Remarkably, the City Campus is "only" 47 meters high. And let that be exactly the height of the Post CS building, which stood on Oosterdokseiland from 1968 and served for many years as a mail sorting center for the former PTT. In 2004, this building was partially demolished. The remaining main building became a temporary breeding ground for artists, with the famous restaurant Club 11 on the top floor. The Stedelijk Museum also had a branch there. Finally, in 2009, the last part also went down, to make way for the City Campus years later. 

Feeling with the city

Galle, now responsible for the development of Oosterdok Island, has fond memories of Post CS. "I still sorted mail there as a working student," he says with slight wistfulness. "All sorts of things happened around the building that couldn't bear the light of day." With a nod to the past, but certainly also because a building of dozens of floors does not fit with the convivial atmosphere that is to prevail at ODE, the decision was made to make the City Campus no higher than the Post CS building. So 47 meters and not an inch more, says Galle. "In order not to lose the feeling with the city."  

Construction Info

Construction program 
New multifunctional building including housing, offices (City Campus), public facilities and restaurants (72,500 m²)

Client
Area developer BPD, Amsterdam

Architect
UNStudio, Amsterdam

Contractor
Züblin Netherlands B.V.

ODE Apartments (ode-apartments.co.uk)
42 luxury apartments, sales start in late 2020