In 2018, the Dutch ministry of Defense is leaving the Marineterrein (Navy Yard) in Amsterdam. This means that 13 hectares of land will be released in the heart of the city. The idea of the stakeholder team (the Dutch government, municipality of Amsterdam and the city center board) is to develop the site into an international work and knowledge environment, i.e an Innovation District. It will become a place where top institutions and internationally oriented companies of different sizes can innovate, test and apply new solutions. In addition, it will also become an attractive place for locals and visitors. Cultural and social services, housing and various facilities for sporting and moving indoors and outdoors should contribute to meeting and interacting.
The current vision only indicates the direction of development and is not a blueprint. This allows for the future development to remain flexible and to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions required by innovative environments.
Together with the Amsterdam’s department of Planning and Sustainability, the Atelier Rijksbouwmeester and SPcitI have been collaborating from September 2016 to February 2017 to prepare a part of this step-by-step process, leading to the first basic spatial principles. The ‘Principebesluit Marineterrein’ of the planning department was approved by the city council of Amsterdam on July 18th. The next phase of the project was kicked-off the following day during ‘the making of the Marineterrein’.
