Amsterdam looks underground to ease congestion
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JamieB
Feb 21, 2008, 8:53:13 AM2/21/08
to transport-innovators
Amsterdam looks underground to ease congestion
Robert Booth The Guardian, Thursday February 21 2008
Officials in Amsterdam are considering plans to build a vast
underground city beneath the city's famous canals to house car parks,
cinemas and sports halls.
A consortium of engineers and architects has submitted proposals for a
network of 60-metre-deep (195ft) underground tunnels to provide up to
6m square metres of new space in the crowded historic centre. They
want to use the tunnels to take the cars off Amsterdam's narrow
canalside streets to reduce pollution and increase space for cafes,
parks and shopping.
The "city under the city" proposal - dubbed Amfora - could cost £6bn
and has been given a cautious welcome by the Amsterdam authorities. It
would be financed by private banks, but requires the permission of the
city government.
Backers have warned that Amsterdam's lack of space and high land
prices could result in the city centre losing popularity to the
suburbs over the next 20 years.
The proposal has been submitted by engineers Strukton and the
architect firm Zwarts & Jansma and involves draining the biggest
canals, digging down 60 metres to a layer of waterproof clay and
dropping in concrete walls. A roof would then be built and the canal
water poured back in. Underneath, up to six storeys of accommodation
would be built using access from canalside shafts. Cinemas, for
example, could have their entrance at ground level but the auditoria
would be in the tunnel. Some tunnels would be used for a park and ride
system to keep cars out of the city.
"Canals that now feature only houses and lawyers' offices will become
real shopping streets full of activity again," said Moshe Zwarts, the
architect behind the plan. "Like Barcelona and London have world-
famous shopping streets, such as the Ramblas and Regent Street,
Amsterdam could develop a characterful shopping area along the
canals."
The designers believe they could make the underground spaces pleasant
by projecting images of the sky on to the ceilings and by regulating
the temperature at 18C (64F) using canal water as a coolant.
"Those spaces can not only be used to accommodate parking places, but
also shops, sports halls, cinemas, storage of archives, room for
cables and piping," said Bas Obladen, the project engineer.
"I can imagine more cars underneath the canals," said Alderman Tjeerd
Herrema, responsible for city infrastructure. But he voiced concern
that Amsterdammers would not want to live "like moles" in the tunnels.
"I doubt if we should build shops underground," he said. "This is not
a new idea. But we welcome every plan."
Since the 1970s more than 20 miles of tunnels and shopping areas have
been built beneath Toronto, Canada.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/21/netherlands
Enlightened Underground:
http://www.thinkdeep.nl/content/info-presentations.htm#sessione
Paper:
http://www.thinkdeep.nl/documents/Papers/Obladen.pdf
Strukton Press Release:
http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Archive/Pages/StruktonconceptualisescitybeneathAmsterdam.aspx
Images:
http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Pages/PhotoArchive.aspx
Robert Booth The Guardian, Thursday February 21 2008
Officials in Amsterdam are considering plans to build a vast
underground city beneath the city's famous canals to house car parks,
cinemas and sports halls.
A consortium of engineers and architects has submitted proposals for a
network of 60-metre-deep (195ft) underground tunnels to provide up to
6m square metres of new space in the crowded historic centre. They
want to use the tunnels to take the cars off Amsterdam's narrow
canalside streets to reduce pollution and increase space for cafes,
parks and shopping.
The "city under the city" proposal - dubbed Amfora - could cost £6bn
and has been given a cautious welcome by the Amsterdam authorities. It
would be financed by private banks, but requires the permission of the
city government.
Backers have warned that Amsterdam's lack of space and high land
prices could result in the city centre losing popularity to the
suburbs over the next 20 years.
The proposal has been submitted by engineers Strukton and the
architect firm Zwarts & Jansma and involves draining the biggest
canals, digging down 60 metres to a layer of waterproof clay and
dropping in concrete walls. A roof would then be built and the canal
water poured back in. Underneath, up to six storeys of accommodation
would be built using access from canalside shafts. Cinemas, for
example, could have their entrance at ground level but the auditoria
would be in the tunnel. Some tunnels would be used for a park and ride
system to keep cars out of the city.
"Canals that now feature only houses and lawyers' offices will become
real shopping streets full of activity again," said Moshe Zwarts, the
architect behind the plan. "Like Barcelona and London have world-
famous shopping streets, such as the Ramblas and Regent Street,
Amsterdam could develop a characterful shopping area along the
canals."
The designers believe they could make the underground spaces pleasant
by projecting images of the sky on to the ceilings and by regulating
the temperature at 18C (64F) using canal water as a coolant.
"Those spaces can not only be used to accommodate parking places, but
also shops, sports halls, cinemas, storage of archives, room for
cables and piping," said Bas Obladen, the project engineer.
"I can imagine more cars underneath the canals," said Alderman Tjeerd
Herrema, responsible for city infrastructure. But he voiced concern
that Amsterdammers would not want to live "like moles" in the tunnels.
"I doubt if we should build shops underground," he said. "This is not
a new idea. But we welcome every plan."
Since the 1970s more than 20 miles of tunnels and shopping areas have
been built beneath Toronto, Canada.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/21/netherlands
Enlightened Underground:
http://www.thinkdeep.nl/content/info-presentations.htm#sessione
Paper:
http://www.thinkdeep.nl/documents/Papers/Obladen.pdf
Strukton Press Release:
http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Archive/Pages/StruktonconceptualisescitybeneathAmsterdam.aspx
Images:
http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Pages/PhotoArchive.aspx
Jerry Roane
Feb 21, 2008, 8:58:29 AM2/21/08
to transport-...@googlegroups.com
That is an awesome idea. I think we discussed using the bottom of the canals as a place to hide the tunnels but going deeper and sealing them from water is similar but less weird to talk about. In either case these tunnels would be under the water table and would need to be sealed.
Jerry Roane
Jerry Roane
eph
Feb 21, 2008, 8:59:05 AM2/21/08
to transport-innovators
Wow!
Somebody please push a PRT solution for the tunnels!
F.
> Strukton Press Release:http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Archive/Pages/Struktonconceptuali...
> Images:http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Pages/PhotoArchive.aspx
Somebody please push a PRT solution for the tunnels!
F.
> Images:http://www.strukton.nl/en-us/Recent/Pages/PhotoArchive.aspx
robbert@2getthere.eu [2getthere]
Feb 21, 2008, 9:03:48 AM2/21/08
to transport-...@googlegroups.com
Really good idea. I hope this time around it survives longer than the
last time.
We co-operated in a research into automated transportation in tunnels in
the canals of Utrecht early 2000. Next steps were not taken...
last time.
We co-operated in a research into automated transportation in tunnels in
the canals of Utrecht early 2000. Next steps were not taken...
I guess projects like these are typically to ambitious for most
politicians and civil servants who, by nature, are cautious and
risk-averse (at least in Europe).
Robbert
Jerry Roane schreef:
Walter Brewer
Feb 21, 2008, 9:13:37 AM2/21/08
to transport-...@googlegroups.com
Note combination of private finance with Gov blessing.
Walt Brewer
Michael Weidler
Feb 21, 2008, 1:41:55 PM2/21/08
to transport-...@googlegroups.com
Hmm, sounds like Crystal City, VA writ large.
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