Waugh Thistleton Architects

An ambitious project for the 21st century this sustainable cut and carve development repurposes a concrete frame and extends it with a new engineered timber structure to create a landmark net zero carbon office and retail space.

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Located within the Amsterdam-Zuidoost area masterplan, Startwell is a landmark building for the future regeneration of the area, benchmarking an aspirational approach to sustainability and the use of mass timber construction. The client's objectives for a holistic, sustainable workplace are woven into the human experience of the building: warm, bright and healthy spaces that have a strong connection to nature and the city. 

The building's form has been developed from an existing five-storey concrete frame, which will be extended outwards using a new timber structure over 16 floors, and rationalised to express a succession of three distinct volumes. The stepped profile reduces the massing towards the public facing elevations to minimise visual and solar impact on the surroundings, and reveal green roof spaces. The building design maximises opportunities for prefabrication and will be built using offsite manufactured structural elements. 

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At street level the design integrates the local emerging community by prioritising public use. Recreational and retail spaces are provided over the first two floors and an extensive open reception lobby traverses the ground floor creating an enjoyable environment focused on the human experience, using biodiverse planting to provide connections to the verdant roof terraces.