Zuidas Amsterdam: Heating and cooling supply

About the Project

“De Zuidas” is Amsterdam’s business district and a continuously evolving area. The office buildings require sustainable climate control solutions. Several years ago, a project was launched to provide heating and cooling supply throughout the district.

To transport heating and cooling to the office complexes, the construction of an Integral Pipe Tunnel (IPT) was necessary. The tunnel lies approximately one metre underground, stretches 500 metres in length, and is 3 metres wide. During construction, the existing underground infrastructure had to be carefully considered.

An already overcrowded infrastructure, combined with the mid-project addition of connections for the AMC cancer centre, the RAI, and the KPN tower, made this a highly complex puzzle. Vicoma found a creative and inventive way to fit all the components together, despite the limited space available.

Vicoma’s Role

Vicoma was involved from the very beginning. We were responsible for the engineering of the heating, cooling, and gas pipelines within the IPT. We coordinated the surveyors and specialised calculation experts, managed permit applications, and oversaw complete project management.

Throughout the preparation and execution phases, we addressed unforeseen challenges. For example, we devised a solution for a pipeline support issue where the pipeline did not move correctly with expansion. Vicoma applied Teflon plates at this point, which offer significantly less resistance than the previously used steel, restoring proper support and allowing movement.

Result

“De Zuidas” in Amsterdam is now comfortably warm; and refreshingly cool!