City of Amsterdam takes bicycle parking underground, and under water

Folks in the Netherlands love to get from A to B by bike, which can lead to problems when it's time to park up. Underground parking garages are one way to go, and the City of Amsterdam has just finished a huge project near the Central Station that puts thousands of parking spots under water.

In an effort to take bicycle parking racks off-street and make the area around the Amsterdam Central Station more accessible for pedestrians, the city commissioned two new underground parking facilities to be constructed. Not only underground, but also under water.

Part of a large-scale renovation project, the design for the first was undertaken by Rotterdam-based studio wUrck architecture, and work began on the station side in 2018. Stationsplein has been constructed more than 9 m (30 ft) below the Open Havenfront by the Max Bögl Group, under the water between Prins Hendrikkade and Stationseiland.

Officially opened by Minister for the Environment, Vivianne Heijnen, on Wednesday (January 25), the structure can accommodate 7,000 parked bicycles – making it Amsterdam's largest parking facility for bikes. The bright and airy interior riffs off water-based themes and is accessed from street level by stationary and moving walkways.

A second facility on the IJboulevard that will be home to 4,000 parking spots is due to open next month. In the coming weeks, on-street bicycle racks will start to be removed to de-clutter the area and make for a much more pleasant aesthetic.

Sources: City of Amsterdam, wUrck