Arup supports Kondor Wessels' winning bid for new Dutch hybrid timber tower, Elements

Arup’s advanced parametric digital design tools have informed the building’s iconic faceted silhouette. Elements draws its name from the key design considerations behind the concept such as optimising daylight, water collection, wind and fresh air, and green spaces, optimising energy generation, or providing a considered response to the urban envelope. Arup incorporated all of these elements into its parametrically-designed 3D model. Hundreds of design variants were then generated to find the optimal, most sustainable solution.

The consortium proposed a highly innovative hybrid timber-steel-concrete support structure, designed to reduce by the tower’s CO2 footprint by more than 50%. The residential tower alternates concrete floors with wooden floors every six meters, creating flexible, adaptable double-height apartments. Driven by Circular Economy principles, the materials used in the tower’s construction have been chosen for their low environmental footprint, and the building favours dry building methods so that materials remain separate.

The transformation of the riverside Amstelkwartier continues apace with this latest development, which joins other iconic buildings such as like Haut, the tallest timber building in The Netherlands and the eco-chic QO Hotel. Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of 2021.