Vertical is the first new building complex in the Sloterdijk district of Amsterdam. This urban area is being developed from a mono-functional office zone into a vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhood. The building complex consists of a plinth and two towers–an urban morphology given by the city, but designed for both humans and wildlife by DS.

Wildlife perceives the city not as a collection of houses, parks and streets but as a continuous mountain landscape where the buildings are considered as rocks. The Sloterdijk district lies in one of the green wedges within the Amsterdam city structure. This project opens up the idea that buildings can help repair ecological gaps within these wedges. The complex thus became the first ecological stepping stone in the district, with the hope that other building projects will follow this example. So that in the future, all buildings will actively reconnect the city with surrounding landscapes.

Design
One of the towers features planters all around it, on every level up until the 19th floor. The vegetation in the planters is a mix of intentionally selected species and spontaneously introduced wild plants carried in by the wind. Climbing plants grow along the walls and on climbing structures, creating a lush facade in a relatively short time: a transformation already visible just one year after planting.
The small tower is lined, from top to bottom with nesting boxes, integrated and refined into the architectural design of the facade. The entrances of the various nesting spaces serve as architectural details that also support urban biodiversity.
The two towers function in symbiosis: food sources and shelter are found in the high tower, while nesting and resting spaces are provided by the smaller one.

Maintenance
The vegetation consists of native and wild species. A specific ecological maintenance plan was developed to support plant growth in the planters, tailored to their orientation and elevation. The client funds the supervision of these nature inclusive features for the next five years, carried out by DS landscape architects.

Community building
The planters are collectively-owned by the residents. The current apartment owners have organised themselves into a garden team. They contact maintenance firms, receive guidance from the ecological supervisor, and monitor the biodiversity in the building. In the first year alone, they observed bats sleeping on the balconies, insects on the upper floors, and doves nesting on the 19th floor. The shared space and the communal rooftop garden are located on the fifth floor. The joys and challenges of living with the green facades create an ongoing sense of connection and dialogue among all the inhabitants.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
DS landscape architecture

• All architecture offices involved in the design:
NL architects
Studio DVMB
Space Encounters
Chris Collaris architect
VDNDP

• Other credits:
Imd Raadgevend ingenieurs
De Dakdokters
Heijmans bv – developer and builder

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