Tripolis Park by MVRDV: Revitalizing Structuralist Heritage with Sustainable Urban Design

Tripolis Park in Amsterdam represents a transformative architectural intervention where MVRDV breathes new life into Aldo and Hannie van Eyck’s iconic Structuralist office complex. Completed in 2023, the 61,000 m² redevelopment blends heritage preservation, contemporary workplace design, and high-performance sustainability to create a vibrant new office campus along the Zuidas.

A Historic Dialogue with Aldo van Eyck’s Legacy

The story of Tripolis Park is deeply rooted in its relationship with the 1960 Amsterdam Orphanage—an architectural masterpiece of the Structuralist movement. When the orphanage was threatened with demolition in the 1980s, the municipality offered the adjacent land for development with the condition that the Van Eycks design the new office structures. Completed in 1994 as a trio of sculptural buildings, Tripolis became the symbolic protector of the orphanage.

Decades later, however, the original complex faced new challenges: a lack of commercial viability, long-term vacancy, and threats posed by the planned expansion of the A10 highway. As with the orphanage before it, Tripolis required a sensitive yet forward-looking intervention to secure its future.

Restoration “One Step Better” Than the Original

MVRDV’s design builds on extensive archival research and collaboration with the Van Eyck family. Rather than recreating the 1990s version, the architects restored the buildings to match Aldo van Eyck’s early design intentions—“one step better” than the original execution.

Key interventions include:

• Fully timber-clad façades, replacing the earlier mixed material palette.
• Preserved multi-colored window frames, maintaining the playful Structuralist character.
• Retention of original interiors, such as sculptural staircases and stone floors, combined with contemporary workplace strategies.

The renovation removes compartmentalized interiors to create flexible, collaborative, and open-plan office environments aligned with modern workplace needs.

A Sustainable Transformation Rooted in Landscape

Sustainability is central to the redevelopment. MVRDV transforms the roofs into activated green landscapes featuring planted terraces, pavilions, and communal outdoor spaces that encourage interaction and host events. Solar panels, energy-efficient systems, and environmental enhancements help the project reach BREEAM Outstanding, one of the highest sustainability ratings in Europe.

The site is envisioned as a future “green campus” seamlessly connected to bicycle routes, pedestrian paths, and nearby metro links—reinforcing Amsterdam’s eco-conscious mobility culture.

The Window: A New 12-Story Urban Landmark

Tripolis Park is not solely a restoration; it is also an expansion. MVRDV introduces The Window, a striking 12-story landscraper positioned as close as possible to the A10. This placement creates a protective barrier that shields the original Tripolis complex from noise and pollution.

Defining features of The Window include:

• A monumental rectangular cut-out framing views toward the historic Tripolis buildings.
• An expressive northern façade that echoes and responds to the irregular geometries of Van Eyck’s structures.
• A sculpted interior landscape where bridges connect the new and old, fostering circulation and visual continuity.

This dynamic “in-between” space pays homage to Aldo van Eyck’s philosophy that architecture’s beauty often lies in what happens between buildings—not only within them.

A New Layer of Time and Meaning

MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas describes Tripolis Park as a way to protect heritage while enabling contemporary densification. Instead of imitating the past, the project adds a new architectural layer—one that respects, uplifts, and reframes the Structuralist legacy for today’s urban context.