The Netherlands

West 8 urban design & landscape architecture b.v.

Nico Koomanskade 1021
3072 LM Rotterdam
The Netherlands

+31 (0) 10 485 5801

Belgium

West 8 Brussels urban design & landscape architecture bvba

Waaienberg 123
1745 Opwijk
Belgium

+31 (0) 10 485 5801

United States

West 8 urban design & landscape architecture p.c.

2133 Arch Street, Suite 101
Philadelphia, PA 19103
United States of America

+1 347 371 2252

A Green Welcome

Stationsplein Lelystad, NL

Redesigning the central station in Lelystad to create a green, nature-filled space that welcomes residents and visitors while revising the traffic situation to create a calmer, slow-traffic-oriented environment.

 

Creating opportunities from design challenges: Untangling a messy traffic situation creates room for green space, slow traffic, and a pleasant welcome into the city.

Client
Gemeente Lelystad

Partners
Bonotraffics (Traffic Experts)
Metafoor Ruimtelijke Ontwikkeling (Financial Advisors Regional Development)

Images
© West 8

Bringing the Veluwe into Nunspeet

Nunspeet Station Environment, The Netherlands

The redesign for the Nunspeet Train Station creates a welcome entrance for the town by bringing nature into the area while creating safer, more efficient circulation patterns.

 

Bringing the nature of the Veluwe into the center of town; creating safe and efficient circulation for residents and visitors.

Client
Gemeente Nunspeet

Partners
Engineering public space | Roelofs
Engineering railway infrastructure | Mott Macdonald & Royal HaskoningDHV
Contractor railway infrastructure | Van Hattum en Blankevoort

Imagery
© West 8

Connecting Across Campus

Green Link, Moffett Park, Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Stitching the urban fabric, ecology, and green space, the Green Link is a new accessible backbone that will transform Moffett Park into an eco-innovation district.

Introducing the Green Link:
Creating walkable, pedestrian-first streets

West 8 embedded a robust collection of design elements within the Green Link network, creating a cohesive image for the district.
-> More info: Woodpecker Furnishings Collection

 

Reducing the road footprint, designating safe areas for bike mobility, inter-connected tree canopy and embedded stormwater management.

 

West 8 weaved and co-related the first phases of the Green Link implementation into the design of Google’s newly built Humboldt campus building.
-> More info: Google Humboldt Campus

Client
Google
City of Sunnyvale
DEVCON

Team
SERA Architects – Prime
West 8 – Design Consultant
H. T. Harvey & Associates – Ecology
TOOL Design – Mobility
BKF – Civil Engineer
Selux – Lighting Consultant

Images
© West 8

A Collection of Bridges

Bridges of Máximapark, Utrecht, The Netherlands

A catalogue of bridges with unique detailing connecting the many spaces in Maximapark.

 

Inspired by Art;
Built by the Community

 

Client
Project Bureau Leidsche Rijn

Partners
Friends of Maximapark
Bouwloods Utrecht Foundation

Stitching the City Through Ecology

Km Verde, Segrate, MI – Italy

A new chapter in the city’s history: reconnecting the urban fabric, reducing emissions and promoting safe and green mobility.

A vibrant and inclusive link in the urban fabric
where soft mobility and greenery are intertwined.

1,200 new trees will be planted along the new route, improving air quality, providing shade and supporting local biodiversity.

Client
The City of Segrate

Team
West 8 – Prime, Landscape Architect
Elena Stevanato – Landscape consultant
MIC HUB – Mobility and Transportation Specialist

Imagery
© West 8, Google

From Macro to Micro

The New Afsluitdijk, North Holland/Friesland, NL

Reinforcing existing structures, creating new drainage solutions, restoring the ecological connection of the Ijsselmeer and the Wadden Sea for migratory fish and creating an engaging visitor experience.

In order to restore the connection between the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer for migratory fish, a fish migration river will be constructed into the dike.

After reinforcement, the dike will continue to offer protection against flooding, even under changing circumstances.

Client
Rijkswaterstaat

Consortium:
Levvel (a joint venture of Van Oord, BAM and Rebel)
Benthem Crouwel Architects

Imagery
© West 8

Photography
© Rijkswaterstaat, Levvel

50 Bridges Vathorst

50 Bridges of Vathorst, Amersfoort, NL

Designing practical infrastructure with playful twists that reflect the local identity.

The varying architecture of the bridges expresses the different identities of the areas they are placed into.

In De Laak, 14 bridges were constructed that feature The Dutch Herring fish. The Herring was chosen as ornamentation of the bridges due to Vathorst’s close location to the IJsselmeer, where Herring is native and frequently fished. The layout of fish pattern is made possible by using the construction method of cast aluminum for the railings.

Client
Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Vathorst

Partners
Kuiper Compagnons

Imagery
© West 8,  © Jeroen Musch

Connecting Communities

The Cascara Bridges, Madrid, ES

Made of double-curved reinforced concrete sheet, the Puentes Cascara is a slow traffic bridge that connects the Parque de la Arganzuela and the Salon de Pinos on the north and south sides of the Rio Manzanares.

One hundered cables, resembling the mouth of a baleen whale, carry a slim steel deck.

 

Designed as crossing elements, the bridges configure the space, like pavilions hovering over the river.

Client
Municipality of Madrid

Partners
Burgos & Garrido Asociados, Porras La Casta Arquitectos, and Rubio & Alvarez-Sala

Imagery
© West 8, © Ira Efremova, Daniel Canogar

Reimagining an Industrial Heritage

Strijp S, Eindhoven, NL

 

We see not only the official monuments but also all industrial buildings and objects as valuable to preserve and incorporate into the design.

Designing an inviting
Building Interface

 

Through this intervention, the unique cultural heritage of the Philips factories is preserved and strengthened with the reopening of iconic buildings, transforming Strijp S into an area where the city and society find each other in a new, inventive way. 

 

Space to Celebrate

 

The location of Strijp S, just outside the city center of Eindhoven, along with its placement between the High Tech Campus of Eindhoven and the Technical University of Eindhoven, makes it an ideal location for festivals, pop-ups, makerspaces, and events.

Client
Park Strijp Beheer

Imagery
© West 8, © Jeroen Musch, ©Max Kneefel, © Bart van Overbeeke/ GLOW Eindhoven, © Max Kneefel

Video
Video © Gewest13 via Strijp-S

Catalysing Transformation

Brno Main Station, Brno, CZ

Redefining public space in a monumental multimodal transit hub: The station is the catalyst for the city of Brno’s desire to physically and mentally develop the new district as an integral part of the city.

Benthem Crouwel Architects + West 8 urban design and landscape architecture are collaborating on the design for a new multimodal hub of Brno, urban realm and adjacent station quarter. The urban layout of the station district allows for an optimal layout for all modes of transportation. By putting people first, all traffic modes are safely untangled. With a construction budget of 1,8 billion euros, the expected completion of the station is between 2032 and 2035.
-> Click Here for more information about the Exhibition: Designing Brno Station

Creating a barrier free district, the design both weaves and embeds pedestrian routes into the urban fabric and concentrates them through high-quality passages in the railway body.

Putting People First &
Reflecting the Rich History of Brno

Client
City of Brno
Czech Railway administration

Partners
Benthem Crouwel Architects

Imagery
© Play-time

Advisors

Building cost and solar energy concept – Arcadis
Structural engineering – SID studio
Traffic consultancy – Goudappel
Water management – RHDHV

Reimagining Infrastructure to Reconnect the City

Madrid Río - Infrastructure, Madrid, ES

By digging an incredible 43 km of tunnels under the city and burying over 12km of the city’s highly congested M30 motorway along the Rio Manzanares, room was created for a massive green corridor and a continuity of green spaces to connect the north and south sides of the city.

Understanding scale: A comparison of the sunken M30 (top left) with the Paris Peripherique (top right), New York City’s FDR Drive (lower left), and the Boston Big Dig (lower right).

The riverfront project for Madrid is an intervention with the highest ambition of environmental improvement by the city in the twentieth century.

 

Supervision through design, construction, and park installation.

Burying major thoroughfares in the city allowed for space to plant 43,000 trees, 460,000 shrubs and 211,000 m2 of grassland- creating a pleasant microclimate near the waterfront.

Client
Municipality of Madrid

Partners
Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos Asociados, Porras La Casta Arquitectos and Rubio & Álvarez-Sala (during construction period these 3 Madrid-based firms formed a joint venture for the project: MRIO arquitectos)

Consultants
Cascara Bridges | FHECOR-Hugo Corres

Imagery
© Jeroen Musch, © Municipality Madrid, © Richter Spielgerate, and © West 8

Re-stitching the City

Groene Loper, Maastricht, NL

The removal of traffic and creation of new homes, restoring historic and ecological connections, and providing the city with a direct and safe connection to green space and nature.

The stacked design of the tunnel creates space for urban development on both sides of the Groene Loper. Over the next few years, over a thousand homes will be built in different phases in a wide variety, both in terms of typology and shape. The plan aims for a high-quality avenue environment inspired by Maastricht’s old canals.

The construction of the King Willem-Alexander Tunnel in Maastricht increased the value of homes within a radius of one kilometre by a combined 220 million euros. This increase in value comes on top of the general increase in house prices.

After/Before

The integrated cooperation enabled the impact on the surrounding area to remain minimal during construction while seeking maximum gains for the city in the long term. For instance, excess sand was used to build a park hill and a water basin was given a second life as a pond. In doing so, The Groene Loper not only solved a major technical issue but also gave extra ‘gifts’ back to the city.

Healing the city of
Maastricht

With the planting of 2,000 trees and the creation of a central part for walking and cycling, this linear strip is now able to unite rather than divide.

The two entrances to the city from the tunnel are articulated with green space. These traffic intersections have been given their own topography and planted with Italian poplars to create a green arrival.

Client
Consortium Avenue2 (Ballast Nedam, Strukton) and Projectbureau A2 (Rijkswaterstaat, Provincie Limburg, Gemeente Maastricht en Meerssen)

Partners
Ballast Nedam, Strukton, Arcadis, Humble Architecten, dGmR, in collaboration with Bex* Communication

Imagery
© West 8, © Jeroen Musch, © Fred Berghmans, and © Aron Nijs