Silo Competition Proposal / Allard Architecture

Our friends from Allard Architecture sent us their proposal for the Silo Competition in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The Biotope converts the remains of an old water purification plant in an ecological mixed use development. Conceived as an ecological education centre, the Biotope will be the home for eco-related institutes like IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), for several schools of Amsterdam, for residential spaces and for sport facilities.

More info and images after the break.

The Biotope is a centre open to all the public and dedicated to the public. The stepped roofs have an open routing for pedestrians, so they are able to walk around and follow the growth of vegetation during the change of seasons. These vegetables are also sold in the shops in Biotope.

In the Biotope residents, students and professionals are involved on the collective ‘production’ of the gardens. These production gardens are also open to the adjacent houses for its collective use of the people living in the same area. Underneath the stepped roofs are the schools and the access for the sports hall. At the rear of the whole complex are 75 self-sufficient private residences.

The whole project shall be an answer to recent ecological questions, while providing much needed educational and residential spaces for Amsterdam.

Project Name: Biotope
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Use: residential spaces, office spaces, schools and sport facilities
Client: City of Amsterdam
Site Area: In the remains of an old water purification plant
Bldg. Area: Schools 8,135m²/ Sports 4,250m²/ Silos 4,875m²/ residential 15,750m²
Design Team : Allard Meine Jansen-architect, Jennifer Gauthier, Jurriën Boon, Daniël Bakker,
Cruz Garcia Santiago, Roderick van der Weiden, Jeroen Linnenbank, Jan Nauta
Project Status: Competition