De Ceuvel

DE CEUVEL, also called ‘cleantech playground’, is a pioneering, small circular neighborhood with a community café and 17 workspaces for about 30 businesses. The project is located near Buiksloterham, the former shipyard in the post-industrial area of Amsterdam North. Nowadays, it is one of the most popular Circular Districts and Living Labs. De Ceuvel, was initiated simultaneously with the Schoonschip project. Schoonschip and De Ceuvel are separate community development projects undertaken by different but overlapping citizens. Circularity has been a key objective of both projects since their inception, with both groups requiring all members to sign a manifesto committing them to sustainable living and practices. The De Ceuvel project was initiated by Space&Matter and Smeelearchitectuur, and the concept for the site was developed from 2012 to 2014 by various stakeholders, including architects, people of the community, and sustainability experts who won a competition with their concept of upcycled houseboats. De Ceuvel is a 10-year temporary urban development in which retrofitted houseboats are placed on the land and surrounded by a “forbidden garden” of soil-cleaning plants. The architectural plan for both sites has been developed by Space&Matter, and the phytoremediation plan for the De Ceuvel has been designed by the Delva Landscape Architects office in collaboration with the University of Ghent in Belgium. The overall feasibility study for both projects was conducted by Space&Matter, with Duurzaam Drijvend Wonen also considering the financial perspective.