IN SHIP SHAPE
Kraanspoor, which translates as “craneway,” is a three-story office building erected on an old waterfront concrete crane in a former shipping yard on the north side of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Developer ING Real Estate's original project plan called for tearing down the craneway and putting up the standard business park. Instead, the team constructed the entire building on top of the crane—turning the abandoned shipyard into a hub of urban renewal.
THE VISION
Trude Hooykaas knew she'd found the new space for her architectural firm, OTH, the moment she saw it. “I was cycling along the banks of the IJ river in Amsterdam Noord, through the abandoned landscape of vacant shipyards,” she says. She came upon the deserted craneway and was captivated by its views of the water against the backdrop of the city spires. “I knew it for certain. Here, on top of this piece of concrete history that hovers above the water, here's where I want to build my office.”
What she didn't realize is that it would take nearly a decade to turn her vision into reality.
“As we move toward an ever more responsible society, the property industry must continue to push the boundaries of sustainable design to meet this objective—creating structures that not only fit naturally into their urban surroundings, but are also environmentally and economically balanced. At Kraanspoor, we sought to create a low-impact and inspirational environment that complements its surroundings.”
—MENNO MAAS, CEO, DEVELOPMENT, ING REAL ESTATE, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
URBAN PONEERS
Actual construction on the project began in early 2006 and wrapped up in November 2007—sparking a neighborhood revival that at first seemed unlikely. Even after authorities agreed to save the structure, questions lingered.
“No one believed in the project at first because northern Amsterdam was so undeveloped,” says Julian Wolse, architect and partner at OTH. “But we saw what it could become. And now, a lot of firms are coming to this area because of this building.”
LIGHTENING THE LOAD
The team wanted to take full advantage of the craneway's surface area without having to make radical adjustments to the existing concrete structure. But using the crane as the foundation put serious limits on the project's weight load. So a lightweight steel structure was used in combination with an ultra-thin concrete flooring system and glass panels for the walls.
Mimicking the length and width of the crane, the building is lifted by slender steel columns three meters (nine feet) above the craneway to give the appearance it's floating.
A SOLID FOUNDATION
Built in 1952, the craneway is 270 meters (886 feet) long, 13.5 meters (44.3 feet) high and 8.7 meters (28.5 feet) wide—comparable to an Amsterdam city street.
Using the craneway as the foundation not only prevented the demolition of tons of concrete that would have ended up in landfills and avoided disturbing the riverbed below to lay a new foundation. It also preserved a relic of Amsterdam's shipping industry.
“By putting this building on top of the crane, we gave the crane a second life,” says Mr. Wolse. “And we used all prefab elements in the building, so if they want to break the building down in 50 years the material can be reused again.”