37 biodiversity is considered. Ecologists, city planners, landscape architects and project leaders hold weekly sessions to discuss opportunities to increase biodiversity. These opportunities are collected in a ‘opportunity card’ that is given to future developers and architects. Water and green building envelopes Water, nature and sustainability are also considered in the planning stage. District Zuidas has included rules about this in its building envelope guidelines. Green areas contribute to the liveability and make the Zuidas more resistant to climate change. To ensure green roofs for example, the guidelines stipulate that buildings under a certain height must include highquality green. This entails that the green areas must be attractive, contribute to biodiversity and must be accessible. Changes such as more extreme rainfall and climate change required more specific demands in the building guidelines. Buildings must include collecting and storing runoff from rainwater in their design. The minimum water retention for a plot must be the total surface area x 60 mm per 24 hours. Trees make way for Zuidasdok To realise the Zuidasdok project trees are being cut down by the A10 Zuid and at the intersections De Nieuwe Meer and Amstel. In February 2018 the removal of 630 trees commenced. The trees are cut down ‘at the latest possible time’ when needed in accordance with the season for felling, which runs from 1 November to 31 March. These green areas were often created without planning so the tree roots are close to each other and intertwined – giving the trees little chance of survival if they were to be replanted. Trees that are healthy and can be expected to live a long life are being replanted but there are not many of them. In total 14 400 trees will be felled during the project. The space created for Zuidasdok in this way, will influence how the area is experienced. Once the Zuidasdok is commissioned the green will be grown back in higher quality, so fewer trees in total but of a better quality and with more diversity. The wood from the trees that have been cut down will go to the Stadshout association to be repurposed. Photo: Jeroen Assen Foto: ???? Photo: Jeroen Assen Sustainability report Zuidas 2018
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