The Pulse Amsterdam by DELVA Landscape Architecture | Urbanism

Built in 2024 / 2025 Built Landscapes / 2025 Entries / 2025 Public Projects / Netherlands /
delva.la

The Pulse of Amsterdam
The ensemble on the Zuidas is a high-quality, circular building where architecture and nature go hand in hand – a place where people can live, work, and relax comfortably and pleasantly. The project combines a spectacular elevated urban forest at 35 meters with a modern office tower, a premium residential building and a range of public amenities, including cafés and restaurants, a cinema and a supermarket. The architectural design is integrally connected to an innovative landscape design that makes a valuable contribution to the green infrastructure of Amsterdam’s Zuidas. Intensive collaboration in the form of a construction team ensured that this ambitious plan was realized within schedule, budget and ambition. DELVA was involved in the execution and will manage the project with a team for the next five years.

Urban Forest at Height
Nestled between the tall towers, a small urban forest sits 35 meters above the ground—a place where humans are guests in a piece of nature. The urban forest comprises a continuous area with more than one meter of substrate, water storage and irrigation to provide optimal conditions for the selected plants and trees. The trees were selected three years prior to planting and placed in airpots at the tree nursery. This approach helped achieve the ambitious goals, increased the feasibility of the project, and enhanced its impact in terms of nature inclusivity and sustainability. Thanks to the use of airpots, the trees could be planted independently of the planting season and thus aligned with the construction schedule using the site’s cranes.

By combining the three components—office tower, residential tower, and forest—a district has been developed rather than just a building plot. The forest is part of a connected landscape that covers more than 50% of the plot and includes a public park (at ground level), water features, rooftop terraces, biosolar roofs, and the elevated urban forest. Water is stored on the rooftops and buffered in an integrated 150m³ water reservoir. This not only meets the BREEAM rainwater storage standard (120mm rainproof) but also provides the best possible growing conditions for plants and trees. The green concept integrates ecological green structures in such a way that they partly invite human use and recreation, while other green areas are mainly accessible to birds and insects. The higher you go within The Pulse of Amsterdam, the more the focus shifts from humans to plants and animals.

A Sustainable and Future-Proof Living Environment
The Pulse of Amsterdam is an energy-neutral and self-sufficient building with an integrated sustainable approach. It has achieved a BREEAM Outstanding score of 87.91% and a WELL Core Platinum certification. Sustainable mobility is encouraged through public transportation, (electric) bicycles, and shared cars. Green spaces on and around the building promote biodiversity, reduce heat, and contribute to climate adaptation, creating a comfortable and future-proof living environment.

The Pulse of Amsterdam is the ultimate example of how to build nature-inclusive developments on a powerful, future-ready scale. The continuous landscape has a positive impact on both people and wildlife—an essential quality in a densely populated urban environment.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
DELVA Landscape Architecture & Urbanism

• All architecture offices involved in the design:
MVSA Architects and VMX Architects

• Other credits:
Client: VORM Ontwikkeling, EDGE
Collaborators: Bosman, Van Rossum, Binder, Van Toorenburg, Bureau Bouwfysica, De Enk Groen & Golf, SmitsRinsma, Van den Berk Nurseries Photography: Sebastian van Damme, Marcel Steinbach