Bajes Quarter

22 January 2020

Why this project?
There are many challenges in the field of urban living. The housing market is under pressure: there is a lot of demand and little supply. It is important to ensure that (new) city districts remain accessible and habitable for everyone, and are therefore inclusive. In addition, sustainability is important: building new, energy-efficient houses and stimulating energy transition in existing neighborhoods. The site of the former Bijlmerbajes offers the opportunity to tackle these challenges.

What does the project entail?
Bajes Quarter is a new, green city district where healthy and longer life is paramount. There will be around 1350 homes, ranging from social housing and starter homes to care and luxury homes. All buildings in Bajes Kwartier will be completely energy neutral. Circularity also plays a major role; 98 percent of the material from the prison is reused, both in the Bajes Kwartier and outside. Five prison towers are being demolished, one is being transformed into a "green tower" with a vertical park and urban agriculture.

In the neighborhood it is not only about living, but also about working, recreation, exercise and meeting. The new residential area will get an urban character, but there will also be a lot of greenery and water, so that a healthy living environment is created. The neighborhood is car-free; residents have access to "mobility as a service": a combination of electric bicycle, public transport and shared cars to meet the transport needs of its residents. Bajes Kwartier also wants to be a testing ground for new forms of energy generation, circular use of materials, climate-neutral construction and healthy urban life.

Through crowdsourcing we ensure that what we develop matches the demand of future residents as much as possible

What is the contribution from and to the creative industry?
For area developer AM, the use of creativity and research is indispensable to find solutions to current societal challenges. AM has its own in-house research department to ensure that projects match the demands of the market as closely as possible. AM shares the results of these studies with the outside world through public publications, because these results are of general social interest and are relevant to all project developers.

AM mainly acts as a connector and director. Eva Hekkenberg, project director of Bajes Kwartier: “The first phase of a project is about bringing together the wishes and interests of all parties and aligning them with the vision of the project. At Bajes Kwartier it consists of six important pillars, including mobility and daring sustainability. Together with stakeholders, such as the municipality, co-investors, but also, for example, consultants and architects, we elaborate the vision into the DNA of the project. In the case of Bajes Quarter, for example, mobility and daring sustainability have been worked out in Mobility as a Service."

In order to involve stakeholders and future residents during the next phase, AM has developed its own co-creation model, the I AM YOU method. Development takes place based on conceptual strength, innovation and intensive cooperation with stakeholders. “We use crowdsourcing to collect data from all interested parties in an area. We then divide this group on the basis of various elements such as purchase or rent, entrepreneur or private individual, age, income and lifestyle. That way we can ask everyone relevant questions. If we want to make very specific living products, it helps to test that with the target group. We then ask questions, for example, to map the transport needs of future residents. In this way we ensure that what we develop matches the demand of future residents as much as possible. By working together with customers at an early stage, more certainty is created about the process, resulting in a shorter lead time, design time and official time. Moreover, we receive important information about the needs of the customer that we would otherwise have to guess. ”

“The closer we get to the final product, the more specific the target group becomes. We often start with a survey that goes to all interested parties. Later in the process we regularly organize sessions with interested parties. The specific shape depends on what is suitable. This can be, for example, an information meeting where we mainly bring information, or a smaller meeting where we discuss floor plans with future residents. It must at least fit in with what we are developing. "

The I AM YOU method was developed a few years ago during the crisis period. “Home seekers were a lot more critical at the time, because there was more supply than demand. That is why we then developed a method to better match supply and demand. That turned out to work very well, and we still use the method. It is quite unique that we do this, because although it makes sense that a project developer interrogates potential customers and target groups, that does not happen often in practice.”

In the Healthy Urban Living Lab in the Bajes Kwartier, students of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, together with future residents, are investigating how the area can be designed to stimulate healthy living. Students from various disciplines participate in research and experiments, such as surveys among future residents and designing a neighborhood kitchen.
AM asks the students questions that they can use directly in project development, and also applies the results directly if they are relevant.

What now?
The circular demolition of the Bijlmerbajes is now in full swing. The first houses are expected to go on sale in mid-2020. In 2022 the first residents move into their houses and in 2025 the entire Bajes Quarter must be finished. Knowledge development continues even after the completion of Bajes Quarter; The Waste Transformers convert waste into sustainable energy in the Green Tower and conduct experiments to be able to use it on a larger scale. Wageningen University is working on new forms of urban agriculture and permaculture at this location. Researchers are going to find out what the effects are of greenery that captures particulate matter and how nature contributes to a healthy life. New forms of transport are also being tested. Research, development and innovation will therefore continue to be part of the Bajes Quarter in the future, so that the neighborhood can keep moving with the latest insights.