On 23 June 2021, a guided tour was conducted around the activities of ATELIER in the Amsterdam Buiksloterham area and to a retrofit project in Reigersbos, another development area of Amsterdam.

The audience consisted of a group of about 20 students of the Amsterdam School for Real Estate (ASRE), an academic educational centre for real estate expertise. All students are active in the sector and involved in the master challenge “The sustainable city”. This challenge is an innovative professional training during which the participants study a specific trend or hot topic during four college days and on which they write an essay.

During the tour, the students learned about Schoonschip with their energy system and community characteristics. They also visited the construction area of Republica, which was bustling with activity. The tour ended with a lecture on the Amsterdam vision on urban development towards 2050 and a panel discussion with a real estate developer and municipal urban developers. It was a well-received afternoon with lively discussions mainly focusing on the challenges for mainstreaming the innovations, e.g. financing challenges, insurance etc.

Green roof at Schoonschip (Credits: Rudy Rooth, Gemeente Amsterdam)

Republica construction site, June 2021 Republica construction site, June 2021 (Credits: Rudy Rooth, Gemeente Amsterdam)

Building integrated (façade) PV at Schoonschip (Credits: Rudy Rooth, Gemeente Amsterdam)