«ING Real Estate announced today that 'Crane Track' in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has won the Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Global Award for Excellence during the organisation's autumn meeting in Miami, US. The ULI awards are acknowledged as the world's most prestigious recognition programme with respect to land use. Earlier in the year Crane Track received the 2008 MIPIM Green Building of the Year Award, the 2008 MIPIM Special Jury Award as well as the ULI European Award for Excellence.
The ULI Global Awards for Excellence recognise projects that provide the best cross-regional lessons in land use practices. Crane Track was praised for its innovative concept that can be emulated around the world, its strong urban design responding to the surrounding environment and contributing to a liveable, sustainable development demonstrating relevance to the needs of the community.
"We are delighted that Crane Track has won this award and are honored by the praise of the ULI jury. Crane Track is an office project I am extremely proud of as it reflects the exemplary outcome of sustainable urban planning", said George Jautze, CEO ING Real Estate. "The creative design by Trude Hooykaas is a prime example of introducing new life to an industrial heritage site in a refined and respectful manner".
"I am also proud of the sustainable qualities of the building itself - the energy efficiency, the convertibility to other uses, and the use of durable and recyclable materials. Crane Track is the result of our efforts in redeveloping an abandoned shipyard into a popular business centre for Amsterdam's creative community", he said. The building is fully let and has been successfully sold to a German real estate investor.
Located on the river IJ in Amsterdam, Crane Track began life in 1952 as a concrete crane platform along a harbour pier. It was saved from demolition in 1997 by designer
Trude Hooykaas and OTH, an exterior and interior architecture agency in Amsterdam, who identified the structure's potential for redevelopment and designed a three-storey, 12,500m² glass office building that appears to float over the old concrete base.
The building's indoor climate is regulated by a double-skin façade with movable louvers and solar-controlled glazing, whilst openings in the floor and a low-energy mechanical extraction system provide ventilation. In summer, Crane Track is cooled by water from the river below whilst, in colder months, the relatively warm water from the IJ is used to preheat the central heating system.
Because of its location on the water, the existing concrete platform has attracted a wide variety of water birds throughout its life. In order to maintain this balance with nature, boxes were created beneath the new building to provide sustainable housing for the wild birds.
Flexible design is integral to ING Real Estate's sustainability strategy. Crane Track, now an office building, was designed flexibly to accommodate other functions, even housing, in the future.
"Amsterdam congratulates ING, an important partner of our city, with this prestigious award. The NDSM-wharf, where the Crane track is situated, has developed into the biggest creative hotspot of Amsterdam and is also known for hosting innovative events. The Crane track is a beautiful icon of this wharf as well as the spectacular rebuilded 'Timmerwerkplaats' where MTV Europe is located. It is wonderful to see how this old shipyard has turned into a lively place without losing its industrial elements." said Job Cohen, mayor of Amsterdam». (CS della Società)