Complex "AMFORA" with an area of 1 million square meters. m and a cost of 1.5 billion euros should solve the problem of the lack of free space and the high cost of land in Amsterdam. The authors of the project, the engineering bureau Strukton, the architectural studio Zwarts & Jansma and the Delft University of Technology are going to apply an original idea during construction: temporarily pump out all the water from the city canals, dig out pits and start laying tunnels underground, and then seal the "entrance holes" and again fill the channels with water. Thus, noise and dust from construction will not disturb the townspeople. A 30-meter layer of clay, which lies under Amsterdam, together with protective layers of concrete and sand, will not allow water to penetrate into underground rooms. The entrances to the tunnel network will be on the city ring road A10; underground, there will be not only parking lots, but also sports complexes, shops, cinemas, as well as technical infrastructure.
At the same time, the feasibility of such a large-scale project, the purpose of which is to provide Dutch car owners with new parking space, raises questions. Also, questions are raised by its ecological purity and the problem of public transport under the ground, completely missed by the authors: after all, the network of tunnels will stretch for many kilometers.
The proposal is now being considered by the city authorities. If approved, construction work will begin no earlier than 2018 and will last about 10 years.
