The new IJboulevard bicycle parking facility, designed by VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism with Van Hattum en Blankevoort and DS Landschapsarchitecten, acts as a plug-in to the mobility hub of Amsterdam Central Station.
The parking for 4,000 bicycles is located on the IJ side of the station; semi-floating under the surface of the water, fitted between quay and car tunnel and above the North/South line with an exceptionally precise tour de force.
The new boulevard along the IJ forms the roof of the parking facility. Within the robust construction, the flowing forms and column-free and thus clear layout are determined by the smooth lines along which cyclists and pedestrians move. Between the poles that fix the construction under water, measures for plants and animals facilitate the valuable ecosystem in the IJ.
Pedestrian central
The commissioning of Fietsenstalling IJboulevard actually offers pedestrians around CS more space. After all, on Amsterdam’s busiest spot, the transfer machine for all conceivable forms of transport, 6,000 m2 of public area above ground has been freed up by the plan by VenhoevenCS and Van Hattum en Blankevoort to store bicycles under water. The boulevard and the wooden deck on the approach protection, with stairs descending to the water, now provide a walking route and seating areas with wide views over the IJ.
Because the entrances to the bicycle storage are finished with the same dark gray natural stone as the boulevard, the transition is gradual and the interior becomes an extension of the new public space.
IJboulevard is winner of BNA Best Building of the Year 2024 in the Livability & Social Cohesion Category.
Photography: Ossip van Duivenbode
