Property development company Blauwhoed recently announced its plans to develop a campus facility in South East Amsterdam, for which it has partnered with investment company Greystar, which will provide the financial backing. Known as Amstel III, the new campus facility will comprise approximately 1,500 apartments and other residential properties. The prestigious project also comprises the demolition of the vacant Holendrecht Centre office building, followed by the redevelopment of this site and the immediate surroundings into a mixed-use residential and business area marketed to young professionals, students and other young people.
In terms of the functional and architectural design, the new project to be developed by Blauwhoed and Greystar will smoothly blend in with the Holendrecht railway and metro station, Amsterdam Medical Center (AMC), the adjacent office buildings and the Bluegray student complex. This serves to further strengthen the complex of healthcare services in this area. The residences and facilities to be developed are targeted at students and Amsterdam Medical Center employees, among other groups.
The public space in the area will have a high-quality residential function and will provide natural access to and from the railway station. Urban planning company and architectural firm OeverZaaijer is also involved in the project, with Karres & Brands serving as the landscape architect.
Amstel III: flywheel for transformation
The project is of great value to Amstel III: the business park and industrial estate will be transformed over the next few years from a single-use business area into a contemporary urban district. The area between football stadium and event venue ArenA and Amsterdam Medical Center will be converted into a bustling area featuring homes, food-service outlets, various amenities, and sports facilities.
Eric van den Burg, an alderman for the City of Amsterdam, commenting on the new development: ‘The professional district in South East Amsterdam attracts around 26,000 workers a day, making it the third-largest of its kind in Amsterdam. Amstel III has a strong local economy and will be transformed into a modern-day urban district over the next few years. There will be a growing amount of space available for the types of amenities the city needs, like homes, food establishments and other facilities.’
Blauwhoed Groep CEO Phillip Smits is delighted with the new project: ‘This project has everything it takes to set the tone for the development of the new Amstel III district. A vacant and obsolete office complex will be making way for a lively area where people can live, work and enjoy themselves.
The new apartments will be fully finished based on “smart” principles, with innovative elements that will make them as contemporary as anything out there. You will be hard pressed to find a more shining example of urban redevelopment.’
As the future owner of the development, Greystar has been closely involved in the planning process and emphasises the quality of the location, which is both close to the ArenA area, Amsterdam Medical Center and various educational institutions and easily accessible by public transport (metro, train and bus) and car. With its long-term vision for the area, Greystar is well equipped to take on the transformation of this office site into an attractive residential district.
Blauwhoed Groep is an independent property development company focusing on both the sale and construction of homes and the development and redevelopment of commercial property.
The company develops around 900 homes and 10,000 square metres of commercial real estate a year and has been an NPM Capital portfolio company since 2000. The venture capital company provides feedback and advice to Blauwhoed Groep’s management on strategic issues and helps the company to set its strategy and identify opportunities provided by innovations in the construction and development of real estate.
