Amsterdam eco city and 2 examples of green buildings ("Waternet" and "Edge")

1. Eco-cities and green buildings
I amsterdam
Group Project
Magdalena Mińko
Aleksey Narko
Karol Kotarski
Ravi Kumar
EcoInnovations

2. 1
Urban planning & Transportation in Amsterdam.
Introduction.
When it comes to the fields of urban planning and transportation, Amsterdam is without hesitation
one of the most iconic cities in the world. We are all familiar with the stereotypical image of it
entailing: ranges of elegant, old blocks intersected with picturesque canals; streets busy with
stylish Dutch bikes; barges and houseboats anchored to the shore of the river Amstel… A
contemporary urban utopia of sustainability and communal life?
Naturally, no capital of a XXI-century city could operate on bicycles and boats only. What lies
beneath the postcard-perfect exterior of Amsterdam is a carefully planned structure that is at once
innovative and indebted to a long tradition of thoughtful Dutch design. It is no surprise that in
2010 the layout of the seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam was placed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List. In fact, it appears that most of the Dutch world heritage sites are
linked to urban planning, land design or water engineering. In this short paper I hope to illuminate
the reasons behind this phenomenon by examining closely the examples of city planning and
transportation in Amsterdam.
Urban planning
Initially, i.e. in the late XII-century Amsterdam was a fishing settlement called Amstelredamme. It
was walled and granted city rights relatively late, in comparison to other major Dutch towns – in
the beginning of XIV-century (1300 or 1306). The oldest part of the town was called De Wallen
(the quays) and remains virtually unaltered to this day: it is where Dam Square and the notorious
Red Light District are situated.
The history of the Netherlands is a tale of coping with constant overpopulation. This is why from
the very beginning Dutch urban planning was sensitive to the problem of fitting a relatively large
amount of people on a small land. Amsterdam was not exempt from this issue. The town was
gradually growing and during the Dutch Golden Age (XVII century) when it became a strategic
point of international maritime transport, Amsterdam was the richest city in the world. Not
surprisingly, this fact attracted immigration and as a result the city was literally full. The
authorities, concerned with the town’s housing capability, decided it was time for an extension.
This is when the famous canal ring was built (from 1610 to 1660), known as Grachtengordel. As
the historian Sako Musterd argues, the canals were designed for purely practical and not aesthetic
reasons: they served not only as residential areas but also for water management, transport and, of

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course protection purposes. The city was much safer being a colony of small islands surrounded
by water than before. Consequently the defense wall was moved outward.
This first major extension of Amsterdam entailed planned social segregation: the first three canals
(most of all Heren and Keizersgracht) were intended for the rich bourgeoisie while the area
situated further from the heart of the city (the Dam Square) was designed for the poor.
A 1544 woodcut showing Amsterdam before the canals have been built / source: www.wikipedia.org
A map from 1657 depicting the first canal ring extension / source: www.citybreaths.com
After the decline of the Golden Age, Amsterdam’s economy started to shrink and as a
consequence over the next 200 years the city did not expand considerably. However, the issue of

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overpopulation returned in the first half of the 20th
century. This is when new urban planning
conceptions were enforced, most importantly Plan Zuid based on early modernist socialist ideals.
This is when large housing blocks for all social classes first appeared on the outskirts of the city
mirroring such neighborhoods in other European capitals.
The late 20th
and early 21st
century brought the attention of Amsterdam’s urban planners back to
water. Several islands have been inhabited: KNSM-Island (1990s), Java-Island and IJburg (both
2000s) and this seems to be the future of Amsterdam city planning.
Iburg in 2010 / source: www.citybreaths.com
Transportation
Amsterdam had little choice but to become the bicycle capital of the world. The fact that the city
center is situated in between numerous canals meant that it is virtually impossible to expand the
streets in breadth. As cars grew more and more commonplace after the Second World War the
city faced major congestion problems. In the 1960s the authorities decided to abandon the plans
for adapting the city center to car traffic and instead started to encourage bicycle use. A network
of 450km cycling routes was quickly established. The lanes are not segregated from car traffic but
have priority over it, while the speed of cars is limited to 30 km/h only.
Today 85% of city residents ride their bike at least once a week. In consequence 38 % of all daily
journeys are by bicycle (most of them under 5km per day). The number of bicycles in town varies
around 1mln of which about 100,000 ends up being stolen every year while 25,000 is fished out of
the canals. Studies demonstrate that Amsterdam 's walkability, bike usage and broad access to
parks have, in practice lengthened the life expectancy of the city’s inhabitants.

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The authorities have been consistent about stubbornly reducing the free movement of cars (which
begins as far as the A10 ring), and financing as well as promoting public transport. The
alternatives for car transport in Amsterdam are wide and diverse: metro, bus, tram, ferries,
regional buses and trains. Public companies also offer transport via water taxis and water bus.
Livability
Livability is a term coined over last decade where the living factors such as socio-economic
conditions are compared and scored based on a scientifically devised calculation. There is no
single authority on the calculation of this index. Different agencies do it in different way. One of
the most credible ratings is done by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which publishes a list
of top 20 and bottom cities on the livability index.
In 2012 this index had 75% weight in five categories of Stability, Healthcare, Culture and
Environment, Education and Infrastructure. The rest 25% was for spatial characteristics, aspects
of city life such as urban form (green space etc.), the geographical situation of the city (natural
assets, isolation and connectivity), cultural assets and pollution.
Amsterdam ranked 2nd
most livable city according to EIU rankings, following is the actual rating.
In the following years of 2013 and 2014 Amsterdam was not even featured in top 101
.
There has been some substantial criticism for the various livability indexes. According to a new
study published in the Word Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development the
major existing livability indices can be put into two groups. The first group will be the one which
will value a city’s economic and cultural prowess, these are the cities that are good to work in and
see. These cities are expensive, crowded and often require long commutes like New York,
London and Tokyo.
The second group will be the ranking of cities based on the pleasant living conditions such as a
mild climate, easy transit and clean environment. This group includes cities like Vienna,
Melbourne, Geneva and Vancouver. These are the cities where we would like to live if jobs were
not a constraint.
The authors of the study have created an index called ‘Global Livable Cities Index’ (GLCI),
which takes the balanced approach between the two groups. The ‘work-life’ balance. For the task
they have went through data in five categories: economic vibrancy and competitiveness, domestic
security and stability, public governance, socio-cultural conditions, and environmental
1
Exact ranking is not available in EIU’s openly available ranking report.

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friendliness and sustainability.
On this ranking there are 64 cities that have been evaluated and Amsterdam stands at 15th
position.
Technology
Amsterdam is one of the few pioneering cities to have a project where public and private bodies
collaborate to make the city better. The project is called Amsterdam Smart city (ASC) which is a
partnership businesses, authorities, research institutions and the people of Amsterdam.
The project has now 70 partners involved in various projects focusing on energy transition and
open connectivity. Following are a few notable projects:
 Wijk TV: IJburgTV is a television channel entirely dedicated to IJburg district brought to
homes via fast fiber optic internet. This is a result of Fiber-to-the-Home Project.
 West Orange: a project aimed at better energy management through spreading awareness
among residents about their energy consumption. There is an wireless display installed
which can keep up to date with the consumption.
 Digital Road Authority: During peak hours island of IJburg suffers from heavy traffic
and reduced accessibility owning to the fact that there are only two bridges connecting to
mainland. This project provides personalized travel advises to residents through a mobile
app based on real time data from department of traffic. People can plan their travel in
advance and based on that the authority can manage travel slots and as it is in direct
contact with traffic light, it can increase the ‘green time’ based on current and expected
traffic density.
 Amsterdam ArenA: Under the category of smart areas development Amsterdam ArenA
signed an innovation deal with the city project to develop better solutions for crowd
management, developing energy grids and improving connectivity and resources for
visitors though the use of tablets and smartphones.
Green-Roofed Waternet Building Recycles Water for the Entire City of Amsterdam
Introduction
Amsterdam is intimately connected to water, given that the city is intersected by numerous canals
and protected from the sea only by a system of polders. Despite an abundance of water, water

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consumption per head is low, at about 53 cubic meters per inhabitant per year, half the 30-city
average of 105 cubic meters. In terms of water leakages, Amsterdam is the best-performing city,
losing just 3.5% of water, compared with the average of 22.6% across all cities.
The bulk of Amsterdam’s drinking water is from the Rhine River and is filtered through dunes west
of the city. A second major supply is seepage water from polders. Initiatives: The city is working
to fit every home in the city with water meters, in order to make water use more efficient and
equitable.
Waternet building / source: urbangreenbluegrids.com
The original decision was taken in 1998, and since then, thousands of homes have had one fitted
every year. The goal is to fit 300,000 homes by 2010, leaving 100,000 homes that are unsuitable
for water meters — for these, further solutions are being sought. A differentiated tariff system for
water was introduced in 2009, and is intended to contribute to more intelligent water consumption
habits.
Green building
The special example of the building with environmental performance in frame of water management
connecting with creating an ecofriendly atmosphere is a Green-Roofed Waternet Building Recycles
Water for the Entire City of Amsterdam.
Waternet is the only water company in the Netherlands that is dedicated to the entire cycle. The
company treats waste water and produce drinking water. Their maintain water levels and keep
surface water clean. The project based on the cooperation with the Regional Public Water Authority
of Amstel, Gooi and Vecht and the City of Amsterdam. The most important tasks the Waternet are
supplying inhabitants with tap water and taking care of the discharge of waste water. Moreover their
keep the surface water clean. For these services Amsterdamesen receive a water bill and a water tax
assessment from the company.

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Waternet office, Amsterdam / source:www.urbangreenbluegrids.com
Waternet work in and for the City of Amsterdam and much of the provinces of Utrecht and Noord-
Holland. Their workplace extends over a rich and varied area with a wealth of water, natural beauty,
cities, towns and villages. A total of around 1.2 million people live and work here. They can count
on the services of Waternet for clean and safe water - for drinking and general use - and for the
effective management of rivers, pools and lakes.
Built on stilts on the banks of the Amstel River outside of Amsterdam, the Waternet Head Office is
a dual-tiered building that provides for 100% of the Dutch capital's water needs. Designed
by Architectuurstudio Herman Hertzberger, the building holds open plan offices, a restaurant, a
congress hall and a café. Waternet is the only institution in the Netherlands concerned with the
entire natural water cycle (from rainwater to surface water, and groundwater), and it provides the
entire city of Amsterdam with fresh, purified H2O.
Waternet‘s defining architectural features include two bridges on the 8th and 9th stories that link
the towers. A luscious green roof tops some of the project’s lower rooms, providing insulation, a
verdant entryway for people, and a great environment for insects and wild flowers.
Built on stilts, the Waternet Head Office is surrounding by water, which is recycled for the
building’s own use and for the whole of Amsterdam. In addition to purifying water, the company
ensures that water levels remain stable in rivers and channels and it takes measures to prevent
floods. Inside, the flexible open workplaces provide social spaces to debate the best possible future
for Amsterdam’s people and water resources.
The Amsterdam’s Waternet is a part of huge, worldwide organization World Waternet, which works
with local water organizations towards structural solutions for several eco-problems.

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The Edge – the most sustainable office building in the world.
Introduction
Starting from 2009, Deloitte, one of the biggest accounting and consulting companies in the world
is taking active part toward climate change by complete reconsideration of its Corporate
Responsibility program. Their plans include encouraging of workers to use sustainable and
durable modes of travel, being committed to clean energy, ecological products, recycling and
other methods to make world a better place to live. Moreover, the leader in consulting and
accounting has also committed itself by adopting old and moving to the new offices in order to
meet the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
Deloitte's new Amsterdam HQ / source: gizmag.com
In November 2014 the Dutch entity of Deloitte has moved to the new office, called “The Edge” in
the capital of Holland – Amsterdam. The building has been ranked as “outstanding” (with a score
of 98.36 percent) according to the extensive European Union “BREEAM” standard, the world’s
leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings2
. According to the designers of
the building, “The Edge” is the 2nd largest building to ever achieve BREEAM's outstanding
certification. The 40 thousand square meters building with space for 1.8 thousand workers is
located in Amsterdam’s Zuidas area, one of the major business and corporate districts of the
capital city.
2
Breeam.nl. What is BREEAM? Available from: http://www.breeam.org/about.jsp?id=66

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Green Building
The mixture of features, which make the building so outstanding include energy-efficient design,
the ability to generate its own energy and passive temperature control technology.
Offices of the building look down into a 15 story atrium and 60% of them receive the natural
sunlight through the windows facing the north, while the solar panels, installed at the southern
part of the building shield the office personnel from the light of the sun, which can be too
powerful sometimes. These solar batteries, together with the ones, installed at the rooftop of the
building generate enough power to supply all the portable devices, such as smartphones and
laptops, as well as electric cars, with energy. Moreover the solar system, installed at the roof
provides energy for the aquifer thermal energy storage that generates all the energy, necessary for
cooling and heating of the building.
The revolutionary underground system consists of two 130 meter boreholes, combined with heat
pumps, providing cooling during warm periods and heating during cold ones. During the warm
periods of time, water is taken from one well and pumped through a heat exchange in order to be
proceeded and taken back into the well for storage until a cooler period of time, when it can be
used for heating.
The water from the rain is also collected, later to be used for flushing the toilets and irrigation of
ecological terrace and other garden areas nearby the building.
However, the part, which makes the building even more outstanding is the outstanding lighting
system by Philips with over 6000 LED luminaires, connected to the multisensors, that measure
light, temperature, movement and infrared. Each of the luminaires is connected to the common
system, which provides information about energy usage. When the floor of the building is empty,
all the lights there are switched off automatically. Each and every employee, by being into his
office can control and maintain temperature and light conditions, based on his or her preferences,
with the help of the mobile application, which also provides the green report of his or her
sustainability performance, based on the time analysis of personal results. The personnel can also
find out their position in the building and train the application, installed on their mobile device on
a lighting unit.

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Philips connected lighting system / source: gizmag.com
The Edge is a revolution in sustainability, combining eco and technological innovations by
providing a great, comfortable space for work as well as setting the example for other future
constructions.

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