The water garden is design project for the ACCA competition: Bridge for the Hermitage Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At the ‘Water Garden’ of the Hermitage interaction takes place between the water, the museum and the inhabitants and visitors of the city.
The floor plan of the Hermitage is turned over the river, reshaped according to views and connections and raised for water traffic. On the bridge routes are divided in fast lanes and slow paths at the updrop-off point for visitors of the museum. Bigger boats pass through bridge parts that open on demand. To keep an open view towards the Hermitage facade only the west part of the bridge is raised.
Under the upper deck, at water level looking out on the water on all sides, there are a Grand Café with a waterside terrace, a bike repair-and-rental and the entrance to the houseboats. At the deck there are green areas, comfortable seating and interesting viewpoints. At the water various events can take place.
Sustainability can be found in the form of water-purification and particulates filtering through plants on the square and in the water. Facilities are partly heated through use of glass and the water of the Amstel River will be used for air-conditioning.
The competition was done in co-operation between Sander van der Poort, Edoardo Costa and David Dooghe.
ACCA, 2o12, Amsterdam, the Netherlands