Future of the Gardiner Expressway - Nanos Research

Case StudiesAmeliorateA8ern8, Zaanstadt, The NetherlandsBackgroundThe City Council of this small suburb 16kilometers (10 miles) north of Amsterdamundertook in 2003 an initiative to createa new town square. The project sought toreactivate the space under A8, a 7-meter-tallelevated highway.A8 enters town from the east, just afterspanning the River Zaan. When constructed inthe 1970s, A8 formed a harsh physical barrierbetween the town’s two civic activity centers,the church and town hall. Residents of thelow-slung apartment blocks and townhousesin the surrounding neighborhood lost theirriver views and access. The effort to redesignA8 was advocated for primarily by residentsand private businesses. At the time of theCouncil’s initiative, A8’s underside was mostlyused for parking.NL Architects, the town’s design consultant,conceptualized the 40- by 400-meter areaas a long “civic arcade”. The introductionof new programs, cladding of the elevatedstructure, and surface treatments transformedA8 from a barrier into a gathering place. Inaddition, adjacent streetscape improvementsre-established visual and physical connectionsamong the town’s three public realms – theriver, church, and town hall.The project cost was €2.7 million. A8ernA wasawarded the European Prize for Urban PublicSpace in 2006.Urban DesignStakeholder input established the key projectobjective to create an open and simplemeeting place and public face for the town.This objective responded directly to A8’sA8ern8 Highway Section – Before (1970s to 2000s); an Albert Heijn grocery store opened under the highway along with otherneighborhood retail (above).40Future of the Gardiner Expressway