Partnership gives shape to plans for city neighbourhood De Plantijn in Schinkelkwartier

Cooperation partners Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Sanquin, Cordaan and the Slotervaart Centrum voor Zorg have joined forces to turn De Plantijn in Amsterdam Nieuw-West into an innovative city neighbourhood that will add even more value to the city. A place where care, research, living and education effortlessly go hand in hand. De Plantijn is one of the six subareas of the future city district Schinkelkwartier.

At the end of 2021, the Mayor and Aldermen of Amsterdam adopted the Schinkelkwartier Project Memorandum. This plan will transform the area from an isolated working area into an inclusive, lively and green city district where living and working can be combined, and with space and attention for business and social facilities.

Schinkelkwartier area lies on the border of Amsterdam Nieuw-West and Zuid, between the Nieuwe Meer/Amsterdamse Bos area, the Zuidas and Schiphol Airport.

Business, innovative care and living
De Plantijn is located in the northwest corner of the Schinkelkwartier and currently houses the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Sanquin, Slotervaart Centrum voor Zorg and Cordaan’s Hof van Sloten nursing home. In the coming years, these parties will work together to turn the area into an innovative and lively part of the city. Combining care, research, housing and accommodation will create a dynamic place that will appeal to different groups.

The cooperating partners have joined forces in De Plantijn Foundation. Together, they have developed a plan for the future layout of the area. This plan not only incorporates the ambitions of the partners, but also designs an overall plan for the city district with plenty of room for greenery in a low-traffic environment. The plan is in line with the Schinkelkwartier Project Memorandum of the City of Amsterdam and will be further elaborated and realised in cooperation with the municipality.

Rogier van den Braak, managing director of Sanquin Health Solutions, is enthusiastic about the plans: “The Health & Innovation District that Sanquin is developing on its own site brings together a lot of knowledge and expertise in the area of health care, innovation and medical science. The joint development of De Plantijn will ensure that our own innovation district will soon be embedded in a beautiful and green city district. This area will thus become a pleasant place to work and invites people to share, learn and innovate.”

“Slotervaart Centrum voor Zorg sees the enormous challenges Amsterdam has with housing social services and the housing shortage. We would like to contribute to the solution”, says director development of Zadelhoff and Slotervaart Centrum voor Zorg, Martine Gründemann. The plans of Slotervaart Centrum voor Zorg include the realisation of a combination of housing and care facilities in and next to the old Slotervaart Hospital. Themes like meeting, recreation and exercise are central to the further development.

Lively neighbourhood with a green heart
With their plans, the four partners are taking up the challenge that the City of Amsterdam has set for Schinkelkwartier. The district’s infrastructure will be greatly improved, making it easier to navigate and providing more space for cyclists and pedestrians. The communal area will also be better laid out, with a green ‘heart’ and space for meeting in the centre of the neighbourhood.

“This plan will make the area a lot more attractive, both for living and working,” says Sophie Keulemans, housing director at Cordaan. “The combination of work, living and care will give De Plantijn a lively, green dynamic. As De Plantijn, we really want to be a neighbourhood with added value for Schinkelkwartier and the city.”

Robert Clement, construction director of the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek is already looking ahead: “For us, this plan creates the opportunity to expand. This is very important because the number of patients with cancer is still increasing and this will allow us to further expand our research into cancer in the future. The City of Amsterdam has already looked at the plans and provided input. Now it is time to take further steps together, to further develop the plans and to realise them”.

For more information, browse this website or contact Rogier van den Braak,+31(0)6 51755393, email: r.vandenbraak@sanquin.nl or Martine Gründemann, +31(0)20 5129333, email: martine.grundemann@zadelhoff.nl.