OMA to redevelop former Bijlmerbajes prison complex in Amsterdam

The Dutch government selected OMA's proposed masterplan to redevelop the Bijlmerbajes, a former prison complex built in the 1970s in southeast Amsterdam. Located on a 7.5 ha site, the Bijlmerbajes towers have long been a landmark on the outskirts of the city for decades. The OMA team (led by Partners David Gianotten and Reinier de Graaf and project architect Mariano Sagasta) will work with AM Real Estate, as well as FABRICations architects and LOLA Landscape. OMA will also be in charge of designing a significant portion of the 135,000 m2 building development. Currently, the project is scheduled to begin in early 2018.

OMA shared some more details about their scheme below.

“With the city’s urban expansion to the north, south, east and west, the prison complex has gradually become a geographic center of Amsterdam’s new urban development, and can develop into a vibrant civic and cultural space.”

“The original prison masterplan comprised of six linked towers and an administrative building, with a series of courtyards and separate gardens. In OMA’s masterplan, the island character of the prison enclosed by walls is conceptually preserved, yet linked at several positions through new pedestrian and cycle bridges.”

The Bajes Kwartier will become a largely car-free environment, with gardens and areas for recreation and fitness. The land and its buildings belong to the Dutch government’s Rijksvastgoedbedrijf and will be sold to AM Real Estate. Reuse of building materials is a key part of the redevelopment plans: prefab elements from the existing walls are to be reused as cladding for new residential buildings, prison bars will be used as balustrades, and the cell doors are to become edge panels for the new pedestrian bridges.”

More project images in the gallery below.