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After extensive land reclamation in the 19th century, the Dutch municipality of Haarlemmermeer, part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region, has been designated as an area for sustainable urban growth.
Arup is working with Schiphol Area Development Company (SADC) and Schiphol Trade Park (STP), to develop Mixity. Sustainability drives this mixed-use urban regeneration project, combining rural tranquillity and bustling city life within a unique heritage setting.
People and community will take centre stage in this development with 75,000 m2 of shared indoor space and 25 hectares of green park space. An engine for the regional economy, Mixity is set to deliver 400,000 m2 of flexible space to accommodate new businesses, strengthening innovation and competitiveness in the region.
Redesigned working environments and inclusive workplace typologies are combined with public facilities, wellness and recreation, easily accessible via a new footbridge and active transport modes. The development will create added value for companies and employees, but also for residents and travellers from Schiphol Airport.
Situated in the town of Hoofddorp, part of Haarlemmermeer, Mixity is a lighthouse project, exemplifying how sustainability can futureproof an urban development project. The development benefits from a unique, strategic context, surrounded by emerging businesses and residential neighbourhoods, by regional and national-scale infrastructure, and the unique surrounds of the polder landscape.
Project Summary
400,000 m2 of flexible office space
75,000 m2of indoor shared space
25hectaresof green park space
Arup has developed this sustainable development strategy to respond to the pressures of urbanisation and create quality of life by promoting healthy living and working. Mixity brings together community, mobility, landscape and heritage: by engaging with a wide range of stakeholders our urban designers developed concepts based on a deep understanding of place, integrating sustainability throughout.
Connecting with the water
The character of the Dutch ‘polder’ structure will guide the future urban development within the site. Water will play an essential role across the heritage site, managing microclimates and enhancing resilience against climate hazards. The Geniepark recreational area builds upon the area’s unique heritage, and will maintain the historic existing canal which will be expanded with floodable plains, adapting as water levels change throughout the year. The development includes a water management infrastructure that will store, treat and distribute rainwater across the development.
The new footbridge serves as a ramp and reconnects the Stelling defence line - a historic military landscape and UNESCO site, currently intersected by rail and road infrastructure - as a reimagined heritage corridor, mitigating any visual impact caused by the railway and fostering the link with the park. A network of green and blue infrastructure extends from the park into the development, reinforcing the natural polder environment and providing space for recreation.
Sustainability in action: active mobility & green energy
Encouraging a modal shift from car usage towards active and public modes of transport, the site incudes an active travel infrastructure network with pedestrian-first streets, an overall reduction of motorised traffic flows, the implementation of a footbridge, improvement of the station hub connection and an important lobby for an extension of the North-South subway, a major public transport artery traversing Amsterdam, which currently ends at Schiphol.
The modular energy system is based on a combination of low energy installations and solar panels. An optimal microclimate is achieved through a targeted orientation of the buildings, with an abundance of green-blue spaces, protecting against the impact of direct wind and heat.
“Mixity is a perfect example of holistic urban regeneration design. Looking at the site’s unique past and present, we've come up with an integrated development strategy that paves the way to a sustainable future. ”
Vivian Scheepers Associate
Social value – bringing in the community
Our approach to stakeholder engagement in this project will continue to serve as a platform for dialogue between developers, stakeholders, institutions and legislators on how to design and deliver the urban spaces of the future. It also sets the framework for purposeful relationships to be formed between future users, by providing guidance on how businesses and communities can come together and innovate in future working environments.
The result is a more sustainable, people-oriented urban redevelopment that contribute to the broader social, economic and environmental resilience of the region.
The project has been shortlisted for a Pineapple Awards International Future Place 2022.
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