HAUT

HAUT, the 21-storey residential tower by the Dutch River Amstel in Amsterdam, will be one of the tallest timber hybrids in the world. HAUT promises to be a prototype of building in an innovative, sustainable and environmentally-friendly manner. The use of timber in high-rise buildings is one of the most discussed innovations in the construction industry worldwide. It represents an important step towards the carbon-neutral city: more than three million kilos of CO² will be stored in the cross laminated timber used to build HAUT. Apart from the innovative use of wood in the construction, the building will also be provided with energy-generating facades and the wastewater it produces will be collected and purified. As a result, the design has received a BREEAM Outstanding rating, the highest possible sustainability grade. Also, the judges of the BREEAM International Awards agreed that this project significantly pushes the boundaries of high-rise timber modular construction to deliver high performance, quality dwellings. They see the focus of developer, Lingotto Amsterdam, on the efficient use of materials and circular economy principles as impressive, innovative and highly replicable. HAUT stands for ‘haute couture’: tailor-made architecture. The design offers buyers extensive freedom of choice in the size of their apartment, the number of floors, the lay-out and the positioning of double height spaces, outdoor loggia’s and balconies. The façade is characterized by strong, clear lines of light grey floor bands and tall windows, with an apparently random pattern of cantilevering balconies. The wooden ceilings underneath the balconies and the pronounced projections at the sharp building corner facing the River Amstel make HAUT’s architecture strikingly distinctive. The triangular base of the building includes a spectacular public urban winter garden, HAUT’s Hortus. Residents of the neighbourhood can grow their own vegetables, relax and meet each other. The Hortus forms an extension of the adjoining Somerlust Park and includes the Innovation Lab, a demonstration centre where the latest innovations in the fields of nutrition, energy and construction are presented. Amstelkwartier HAUT will be built in Amstelkwartier, a new residential neighbourhood in Amsterdam, situated on the River Amstel between Oud-Zuid (Old South) and Watergraafsmeer. It will contain some 4,000 residential units, together with shopping facilities and small business premises. Approximately 1,000 dwelling units have already been completed, and the first primary school has been opened. Somerlust, the new park on the Amstel, is also already open to the public. Building specifications The municipality of Amsterdam has selected Team V Architecture with Lingotto and ARUP to develop the high-rise structure. The construction of HAUT will start in summer and completion is set for 2020. Facts: 73m high, 52 apartments. A public plinth with urban winter garden (1,100 m² gfa), bike and car park (2,800 m²). Total gross floor area: 14,500 m².