Opening new circular hotspot on Amsterdam Zuidas: Circl

Art & culture, food & drinks and work & events come together in green oasis

You wouldn’t want to be found dead in the Zuidas during the weekend; it was always completely deserted. At least, until now. As of this week, the public can immerse itself in a green oasis in the business heart of Amsterdam: Circl: Circl. This new, circular hotspot is dedicated to meeting and connecting seven days a week. You can go there to work, to have drinks and dinner, to soak up culture or to attend a meet-up.

Circl comprises a circular total concept consisting of catering, events and work spaces. The core is that as little as possible is wasted and polluted and residual materials are reused as much as possible. This is reflected in the construction of the building. For example, the building is insulated by using fibers from 16,000 collected jeans. And the elevator remains the property of the manufacturer and is paid based on use. Even small details are circular as much as possible. For example, the paper used for the restaurant menu comes from water plants from Almere.

Sharing experiences
Circl is an initiative of ABN AMRO. The circular pavilion was built to gain experience with circular construction, so that this experience can be shared with clients. If this is replicated then an impact is created on the built environment. Merijn van den Bergh, Director of Circl: “When we started the process we didn’t know exactly how circular building worked either. By going through such a construction ourselves, including all the uncertainties and possible mistakes, we now have knowledge and know-how that everyone can learn from. By making this learning process visible, we want to give the environment inspiration to dare to do things differently.”

Sustainable menu as a driving force
Circular hospitality is a niche in the Netherlands. Circl is one of the first hospitality venues in the Netherlands where this has been implemented down to the smallest detail. For example, alternative cooking techniques such as wecking and fermentation are used to deal with the abundance of vegetables in certain seasons and to avoid waste. Cooking is also done using minimal energy. Collaboration partners for the hospitality industry include InStock, Lindenhoff and Brandt&Levie; all known for their sustainable approach/philosophy. A ‘lesser known’ partner is Iambe who employs people with a distance to the labor market for the bakery.

Public art
Art plays a connecting and inspiring role in Circl. Work from the ABN AMRO collection is exhibited in and around the offices in the basement. The choice of works is loosely grouped around the theme of ‘circularity’ and is combined with furniture and securities from the bank’s historic collection, which are given new meaning in this context. A new public art project space will open in the building on September 10. The Circl Art Space will feature changing art presentations. It will start with a solo presentation by artist Thomas Raat. Among other things, he will show new work that he created especially for Circl.

Inspiring program for creation and innovation
The opening of Circl will be celebrated during the opening week from Tuesday, September 4 through Saturday, September 9. The public will be treated to a variety of events during this week in the areas of food, mobility and sustainable construction. There will also be entertainment to familiarize the surrounding area with the circular hotspot: an ‘open house’ party on Friday, September 8 with DJ Isis and Jungle by Night and an afternoon show on Saturday, September 9 by Karin Bloemen for young and old.

The opening week is a hint of what is on the agenda for the coming year. Van den Bergh: “The starting point of our events is a sustainable future. For example, the Dutch Design Week expo starts on September 12 and we have regular food workshops with themes such as fermentation and wild picking. There are also weekly art tours and yoga classes.” That there is a need for a place like this is already apparent. “From the moment we got into an advanced stage of construction, people were already rattling the doors. Also, a number of events have already sold out. We’re happy that Circl is already at the heart of society,” said van den Bergh. For more information about the events: https://circl.nl/agenda

Circl is located at Gustav Mahlerplein 1B, Amsterdam.