Check pattern of ribs

Since 2008, the skyline of the Vivaldi area of the Zuidas has been dominated by two towers with a striking check pattern of ribs on their long elevations. Thanks to this load-bearing structure, the so-called ‘diagrid’, it was possible to realize column-free and thus open floor plans in the 24-storey office building. Together with the black glazed façade panels, the grid also means that the subdivision in storeys is not evident on the building’s exterior.

The two towers are staggered in relation to each other in order to allow maximum penetration of daylight and to give as many of the building’s users as possible a view outside. The transparent core contains the vertical circulation and the necessary ancillary spaces for each floor. The office storeys have double height meeting areas and situated at the top of the building are conference rooms with diagonally positioned glass in the head elevations. The interior of the entire complex has been geared to the building’s first lessee, Ernst & Young, by Merkx + Girod Architecten.

On the ground floor, virtually the entire available site has been utilized. Outside the towers, which contain, among other things, the entrance foyer, are the spacious restaurant and an auditorium, the entrance to the parking garage and a large pond. This pond is one of the components of the building’s ecological programme. Rainwater is stored and purified in the pond and then feeds the building’s grey water circuit. Partly as a result of this, the building is ten per cent more energy efficient than is required by current Dutch legislation. (ARCAM)