High-profile office buildings for the pioneers of Buiksloterham
Max & Moore are two high-profile office buildings for the pioneers of Buiksloterham. The creative, productive entrepreneurs who consciously choose an environment in which collaboration is central, and recognize themselves in words such as pronounced, robust, chic, and healthy. The core values of Mei are key to this: a healthy nature-inclusive environment, an aesthetic that fits the scale and history of the place, maximum flexibility and adaptive capacity for resilient and agile programming, creating a community and contributing to inspiring, local initiatives. Development of Max & Moore was made possible by Being Development and COD.
Project info
Status
Completed in July 2022
Opdrachtgevers
Being Development, COD | Development Pioneers
Programma
Approx. 9.500m2 Office / approx. 500m2 Restaurant
Max: 6.800 m2
Moore: 2.700 m2
Grootte
10.000 m2 GFA
Buiksloterham
Buiksloterham, on the Northern IJ banks of Amsterdam, is metamorphosing into a new urban center. The business park is gradually developing into a living-working environment in which entrepreneurship is central. The area is raw, focused on the future as home to creatives, and many multinationals established their headquarters here. Max & Moore stands on the transition from existing activities to new, healthy, and creative working. This prepares the location on the Asterweg for a second phase, of which living in a pleasant environment is an integral part. Max & Moore is easily accessible via the A12 highway, the IJ tunnel is nearby, a pound will take you to Central Station, and Amsterdam’s city center just two kilometers away.
Design concept
Max & Moore consists of two building volumes that, in terms of architecture, match the typology and DNA of Buiksloterham: tough, sturdy, and robust. Max & Moore are related to each other but have their own character. They are like black and white, salt and pepper, big and small. Max stands strong on a double-height plinth and is executed in pronounced horizontal bands of black steel and PV panels. Moore is soft in composition and balances rough and refined concrete in white, light colors. They share features in the use of material and integrated PV cells that blend with the steel and concrete. Greenery is the strong connector between both buildings, with pronounced terraces, double-height winter gardens and green vertical curtains.
Max is an eight-storey building volume with approximately 7,200 m2 of office space. Moore has five floors and approx. 2,900 m2 office space. Both buildings are connected by shared functions and a bridge. The catering establishments and open workspaces in the plinth can be used by the various entrepreneurs. In the plinth, facilities connect to the public space and provide a lively program that will also benefit future housing. The facilities have pleasant, sunny outdoor spaces for terraces, as well as some nice spots at the water side.
In- and outside
With Max & Moore, Mei strives to create a healthy and nature-inclusive working environment, in which sustainability has a high priority. Nature has therefore been fully integrated in the design, and a strong green design has been developed together with Moss. Roof terraces, double-height patios, vertical green facades, and pergolas alternate between the various spaces. Nature is used as a connecting factor between the different floors and both buildings. The greenery contributes to biodiversity and present urban ecology, while at the same time it supports healthy working. The outdoor areas provide all floors with fresh air and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
The roof terraces of Max and Moore are connected on the second floor by a green pergola bridge. On the ground floor, the boundaries between inside and outside blur by bringing together the green elements of the building and its surroundings. For example, the facades of Max have green curtain walls that connect the ground level to the roof terraces. Behind the green facades are split-levels, where beautifully filtered light flows in. These green facades also provide temperature control in the rooms behind.
In the curtain wall plinth of Max, where catering facilities and an “urban livingroom” are located, the boundaries between inside and outside vanish. Three transparent overhead doors of more than seven meters wide are installed in the plinth. These can open vertically, so that inside and outside are connected. The interior with concrete floor connects to the rough concrete Stelcon slabs outside, which are circular reused from the existing situation. These slabs can also be found in the bicycle garage.
In the eastern roof terrace of Max, several insect hotels are also installed, and in the north façade of Moore, twenty bird houses are integrated in the vertical ornamental concrete.
Scale model by Made by Mistake
Integration of the latest techniques
Fitting a new society that wants to live more consciously, being sustainable and future-proof are one of the most important pillars at Max & Moore. The entire plan has been designed to be energy neutral (EPC = 0) and has received a BREEAM Excellent sustainability certificate. Innovative PV cells have been designed that are fully integrated into the facade and are part of the architecture. With a carefully chosen open-close ratio, the facade design contributes to limiting installations and the required cooling capacity. The complex also got a STES installation, so that the building can be cooled or heated using heat or cold extracted from the ground. These measures reduce the need of fossil fuels for energy generation.
Flexibility
The buildings have been designed with a floor plan that can be freely divided, in accordance with the Open Building principle. The prefab concrete structure with columns allows the work floors to be linked both horizontally and vertically. This flexible design results in a high degree of user-friendliness, makes Max & Moore suitable for single and multitenant use, and ensures that the buildings are adaptable over the years. Extra-high ceilings and a great deal of glass around the building ensure optimum contact with the outside world and a view of the water, while allowing as much daylight as possible to enter. At the same time, the striking telescopic doors on the ground floor connect the communal plinth directly with the outside. The outdoor space facilitates meeting and staying and is prepared for the housing that will be added in the future.
Max & Moore under construction
Mobility
Because the building is adapting a sustainable green living environment, the adjacent outdoor space is a car-free zone. Parking is possible at the outer edges of the area and will be solved underground in phase 2. The outdoor space will be provided with intensive greenery, together with the qualities of the Tolhuiskanaal (canal), to create a pleasant living space.
All bikes are taken out of sight in a generous, high space between Max and the existing PHBM building. There is room for no less than 264 bicycles and 37 electric scooters. On top of that, Moore also has a special garage for 18 e-bikes. The public space is activated by the central location of the shared bicycle entrance between Max and Moore. The bicycle garage is also in direct connection with the ground floor of Max and Moore. Special attention has been paid to the bicycle space by providing it with light and visibility with a consistent slat grid. This means that all technical installations are integrated and hidden from view at the same time. The grid roof provides beautiful light, good ventilation, and a spacious feeling. At the same time, this roof enhances the spectacular water view from Moore, between the 30-meter high Max building and the existing PHBM building.
Placemaking
In the run-up to construction, the site was used by pop-up venue Oumuamua; a place where work, food and culture come together. Here, too, circularity was an important aspect. Therefore, the stelcon plates and wooden beams from the temporary situation were reused in the new building. Oumuamua was created partly through the partnership with Robert Winkel.
