MVRDV has released design for a sustainable office and laboratory complex for Amsterdam Science Park in the Netherlands. The project, named Matrix 1, will be built in the heart of Amsterdam Science Park and combine standard laboratories with playful and spacious social areas with its spacious stairwell form.

Set to be designed as one of the six buildings of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) - alongside the Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science (FNWI), the 13,000-square-metre building will house the SustainaLab, a specialist facility for research into sustainability that aims to stimulate creative cooperation between education, research, government, and entrepreneurship. 

Located in the East of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Science Park is an innovative environment in which scientists and entrepreneurs work on sustainable solutions for current and future problems. The campus now offers space for homes, data centres and office and laboratory space, including the six existing buildings of the Matrix Innovation Center.

MVRDV's design ensures that Matrix 1 will be an open and social building. This has been achieved with a zigzagging staircase that is inspired by, and an extension of, the network of paths on the campus. The spacious stairwell forms the social heart of the building and is fully visible to the outside world thanks to the glass façade. 

It provides a balance in the building between the standardized laboratories and a playful, people-oriented architecture – an important consideration in a building where tech workers, who have high expectations for the quality of their office spaces, will share with science workers, for whom laboratories are unable to provide the same perks. 

Matrix 1’sstairwell will thus allow scientific workers to feel pampered in the same way that has become normal in the tech sector. The stairwell greets users immediately upon entering the building, operating as a perfect meeting place to stimulate interaction between different users. Entrances on both sides of the building are also connected via a large, inviting atrium.

"The University of Amsterdam has chosen to establish its new SustainaLab in Matrix 1, where it will work on technologies and systems that reduce CO2 emissions, develop green business models, make agriculture more sustainable, and absorb the consequences of climate change," said MVRDV.

"We are pleased with the agreement of the University of Amsterdam to occupy Matrix 1. As a user, the university fits well with the spirit of this building," said Frans de Witte, partner at MVRDV and the lead architect responsible for the project. 

"We look forward to see which other institutions will soon be housed in the rest of the building. The spaces are designed to be flexible for this purpose; office space can be turned into laboratory space with minor adjustments and vice versa. The presence of multiple companies offers opportunities for social interaction, cross-pollination, and innovation."

SustainaLab's mission fits in perfectly with the design by MVRDV, in which sustainability plays an important role. For example, the steel structure and the concrete floors of the six-storey building can be dismantled so that components can easily be reused in the future. 

Where possible, all surfaces of the building have been used; the roof contributes to climate, biodiversity and water buffering with greenery and solar panels. 

The building will meet the ambitious Amsterdam targets for energy performance (EPC 0.15) and water retention, and targets BREEAM excellent certification, making Matrix 1 a standard-bearer in MVRDV’s endeavour to deliver sustainable projects.

The construction of Matrix 1 is expected to start in 2020, with the opening planned for the beginning of 2022.

Project facts

Project Name: Matrix 1

Location: Science Park, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Year: 2019+

Client: Matrix Innovation Center

Size and Programme: 13,000 m2 Offices and Laboratories

Architect: MVRDV
Partner: Frans de Witte
Design Team: Mick van Gemert, Roy Sieljes, Lesia Topolnyk, Fouad Addou, Aneta Rymsza, Ievgeniia Koval, Giuseppe Carosini, Andrea Manente, Damla Demir
Visualisations: Antonio Luca Coco, Luca Piattelli, Cinzia Bussola
Copyright: MVRDV 2019 – (Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries)

Partners

Development & Project Management: Stone22
Structural Engineering: IMD
MEP: Deerns
Cost Calculation: IGG

All images © MVRDV

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