Located in the ZuiderAmstel district, between the rivers Amstel and Schinkel, beside southern a10 by-pass, the Amsterdamse Zuidas or more simply Zuidas (word Dutch respectively meaning southern axis of Amsterdam or southern axis ) will be the large district of businesses of Amsterdam, comparable with Defense with Paris and with the Docklands with London… In the medium the station of railroad Zuid-WTC will be. It is most important of the six new key projects of the Dutch government.

The Zuid-WTC station must develop until becoming a kind of second central station, where the North-South TGV and the line at high speed will stop towards Germany. In the future, Zuid-WTC will be accessible in three fifteen minutes to 3 million people.

January 21st, 2004, the commune of Amsterdam and the government of the Netherlands jointly decided to create S.A. Zuidas, which must coordinate the projects.

Zuidas is now in phase 3, that of implementation of the plan. Already constructions are in hand and the Mahler project is almost completed. According to the Zuidas forecasts will be completely completed around 2035.

The infrastructure

For infrastucture of Zuidas, three models were examined, namely:

• the model “dok”: All the infrastructure must be underground, the city being built over;

• the model “dijk”: All the infrastructure remains above the ground and occasionally with the free air;
• model “DEK”: The infrastructure above the ground but is mainly covered with a flagstone.

The background document Zuidas (November 2000) concludes that the model “dok” is technically realizable and that it is him which offers the best guaranteed for quality concerned. In 2000 the municipal council of Amsterdam expressed to him also his preference for the model “dok”. In July 2002 the Secretary of State van Vrom officially approved the common wish of the State and the municipality (with the model dijk like option of fold). For this reason a10 highway and underground lines and from railroad will pass in a 1200 meters long tunnel, which will make it possible to devote 24 hectares to the new space of construction. This project constitutes the basic plan now.

In April 2005 the municipal council of Amsterdam gave his agreement to the model “dok”. Only the Socialist party and Amsterdam differently/the Greens voted against.

Various projects

Zuidas is cut out in several zones which, as with Marne-the-Valley have their particular characteristics and their development independent of the others. Here are most important:

• World Trade Center and Zuidplein, located at the north of the station Amsterdam Zuid. This project is the only one which is currently finished. It is also the only project using the existing buildings of the World Trade Center of Amsterdam (the WTC) date of 1985. These buildings were renovated in 2002 and Zuiderplein was arranged there in front of the northern entry of the station. Other with dimensions of the place, several turns were built of which the news tower of 105  m in height, the WTC H completed in 2004. These buildings gave their names to the station Zuid WTC until it is renamed Amsterdam Zuid in December 2006.

• Mahler4 is located opposite the WTC of the other with dimensions of the station and a10 highway. The project with started in 2002 and it is partly delivered today since I work in this zone. The buildings are gathered around a place (Mahlerplein). Of with dimensions a ABN AMRO built there its head office and other of the famous architects built there buildings in the form of sculptures. The buildings of both last phase are still in construction.

• Gershwin is located at the south of Maher4 and étand in the south until Boelelaan which marks the southern limit of Zuidas. To the west the Gershwin zone is limited by Buitenveldertselaan, just like the Malher4 zone. This zone is located on an old park and its principal vocation is residential. The first construction project, Amsterdam Symphony is an operation including/understanding several tower blocks. Work was launched on September 20th, 2006 in the presence of the Burgomaster Job Cohen and the delivery of the last batches is planned for 2010.

• the university district . In the Malher4 west, There is a great zone still non made-up with currently of the tennis courts. The grounds belong to the town hall. In the west of these grounds, the buildings of the one of the two universities of Amsterdam rise, the free Université of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit) (CONSIDERING) as well as Vrije Universiteit Medical Centers (VUmc)

• De Zuiderhof is in the west of this university district. The real estate transaction includes/understands 9.140 m ² offices which are currently marketed by ING Real Estate. The head office of the banking group ING, a remarkable building in the shape of steamer on pile, are in the vicinity, along A10.

• the head Zuidas , located between the boulevard of Europe which skirts the SPOKE, A10, and the avenue chair Kennedylaan, around the SPOKE. It is the Eastern sector of Zuidas of which the goal is to become a district of exits. The project most carrying this idea is the construction project of the concert hall Joop van den Ende which should be born in 2012.

• Vivaldi , is located at the south A10 and between the boulevard of Europe at the east, Boelelaan in the south and the Gershwin district in the west. and the street of court. This zone is also bordered of the parks Beatrixpark and Amstelpark. It should be in the continuity of the zones Mahler4 and Gershwin. For the moment, only the construction of an office building on behalf of the cabinet Ernst & Young began there in 2005.

• ZuidasDok , is indisputably the most ambitious project and most complex of any Zuidas. It envisages to make pass A10 as well as the ways of train, subway and tram which skirt the peripheral in underground. This tunnel multitransport will extend on 1  200 meters between the Amstelbrug bridge and that of Schinkelbrug. The space of 24 hectares released with the top of the tunnel will be used for new construction schedules. The company ZuidasDok NV was creates in 2004 to conclude this project which should finish about 2030.

Some illustrations of Zuidas