According to the municipal authority, around 95,000 m² of new office space is being built in the Utrecht office district Papendorp over the next two years, of which 65,000 m² is already in preparation or under construction. Yesterday, developer AM Vastgoed started work at Papendorp on a new office building, which has been purchased for KPN by German investor HCI for 40 million, and announced that it would also be developing a new head office there for CA (formerly Computer Associates).
Transparent location for KPN
KPN's new office building adjacent to the A2 motorway will comprise two towers, one of nine and one of ten stories, spaced over 30 m apart and connected at ground and first floor level by a spacious, semi-underground lobby. The buildings will also be linked by bridges on the sixth, seventh and eighth floors. The result will be a spectacular, transparent structure with a lettable floor area of 14.000 m² which is true to the spirit of Papendorp's planning concept.
HCI (Hanseatische Capital Investe, Bremen), advised by CB Richard Ellis and Burest, has purchased the building for KPN for 40 million.
The project includes space for over 270 cars, out of sight in a semi-underground parking garage. Completion is scheduled for the first half of 2007. The design is by T+T Design and the architect is Veenendaal Bocanet + partners. Both were also involved in the office project for Cap Gemini at Papendorp, the design of which shows similarities to the KPN project.
High-tech head office for CA
At the end of 2006, CA will be moving into its new headquarters on Orteliuslaan in the Nieuwe Rijn district of Papendorp, which has been developed specially for the company by AM Vastgoed. CA is leasing the building, with a lettable floor area of around 3,500 m², for ten years. AM Vastgoed was selected in competition with three other developers to develop the project.
CA's new headquarters consists of two buildings, each of three entirely column-free floors, linked by bridges within an atrium featuring a glass lift. The buildings are staggered, to give extra emphasis to the lobby on the north side and the terrace on the south. Parking is out of sight under the building, in a semi-underground garage.
Choice of AM
CA's selection of AM Vastgoed for the project was based on the combination of its design concept and the commercial terms it offered. The building was designed by architect Cle van Heerden of Van Heerden en partners, The Hague, in collaboration with T+T Design, AM's in-house design group. CA was advised by Boer Hartog Hooft Makelaars, Amsterdam.
Papendorp No. 1 in effectiveness
The Papendorp office park in Utrecht, at the intersection of the A2 and A12 motorways, currently provides 190,000 m² of office space. Two-thirds of this space has been developed by AM Vastgoed, including pacesetting buildings for HP Nederland (40,000 m²), Cap Gemini (50,000 m²) and Atos Origin (40,000 m²). The new projects for KPN and CA are consistent with AM Vastgoed's policy of focusing its activities in the commercial property market on custom projects for end-users. The KPN and CA buildings are also clear evidence of renewed interest in Papendorp, which AM Vastgoed ascribes to demand from small and medium-sized organisations for new and efficient accommodation. Last week, Papendorp came first in a survey by Elsevier magazine which rated business locations on their effectiveness. The planning procedure for a 500-space public car park in the south of Papendorp is currently under way.
Source: AM
