Op 12 september werd bekendgemaakt dat het terrein van de Bijlmerbajes zal worden herontwikkeld door een team onder leiding van vastgoedontwikkelaar AM, waarin OMA verantwoordelijk is voor het masterplan van het 7,5 ha terrein, alsmede het ontwerp van een belangrijk deel van de 135.000 m2 gebouwontwikkeling, in samenwerking met FABRICations. LOLA Landscape en vele anderen.

OMA’s managing partner architect David Gianotten, partner in charge voor het Bajes Kwartier, licht samen met Eric Frijters, oprichter van FABRICations, de plannen toe voor het prestigeproject dat begin 2018 van start moet gaan, met een verwachte opleverdatum in 2023.

De torens van de Bijlmerbajes zijn al tientallen jaren een mijlpaal in de periferie van Amsterdam. Met de stadsuitbreiding naar het It was announces on September 12 that the former Bijlmerbajes in Amsterdam will be redeveloped by a team lead by real estate developer AM, in which OMA is responsible for the masterplan of the 7.5 ha site, as well as the design of a significant portion of the 135,000 m2 building development, in collaboration with FABRICations, LOLA Landscape and many others.

OMA’s managing partner architect David Gianotten, partner in charge of the Bajes Kwartier, together with Eric Frijters, founder of FABRICations, explain the plans for the prestige project which is scheduled to begin in 2018, with an expected completion date in 2023.

The towers of the Bijlmerbajes have been a landmark in the periphery of Amsterdam for decades. With the city’s urban expansion to the north, south, east and west, the prison complex has gradually become a geographic center of Amsterdam’s new urban development, and can develop into a vibrant civic and cultural space.

The original prison masterplan was comprised of six linked towers and an administrative building, with a series of courtyards and separate gardens. In OMA’s masterplan, the island character of the prison enclosed by walls is conceptually preserved, yet linked at several positions through new pedestrian and cycle bridges. The Bajes Kwartier is structured as a series of four clusters, each one with a strong character and program mix, to be linked via a central pedestrian + cycle path on the footprint of the former prison distribution spine, the Kalverstraat. One of the existing towers will be transformed into a Green Tower, a vertical public park to showcase Dutch urban farming concepts and a viewing platform for the neighborhood. The Bajes Kwartier will become a largely car-free environment, with gardens and areas for recreation and fitness.

About David Gianotten
David Gianotten is the Managing Partner-Architect of OMA. In this role he is responsible for the management, business strategy, and growth of the company worldwide. As partner-in-charge he also oversees design and construction of various projects, including the Taipei Performing Arts Centre, the masterplan of Feyenoord City and Bajes Kwartier.

About Eric Frijters
Eric Frijters is founding partner and director of FABRICations, an office that adopts a “Research by Design” approach to explore the potential for better urban systems. He is also Professor (Lector) Future Urban Regions (FUR) at the Dutch Academies of Architecture.Eric has over 10 years of experience in designing and executing projects in architecture, urbanism and consulting in regional strategies in the Netherlands and abroad. He has a background in architecture from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam and graduated Cum Laude at the Eindhoven University of Technology. His research has been published in several books and various journals.

Date: 12 October
Time: 8 PM
Location: Academy of Architecture Amsterdam, Waterlooplein 213
Tickets: €5,- are SOLD OUT. University of Architecture students are entitled to free admission on presentation of their student ID card.
Language: English