Belmerbayes is the popular name for a "humane" prison of six 14-storey towers, an administrative building, courtyards and gardens. Built in 1978 on the southeastern outskirts of Amsterdam, the complex was gradually surrounded by city blocks and became the geographical center of the new area. In June 2016, the prison was closed, and the Dutch government announced a competition for a project to turn its territory into a mixed development quarter.
The competition was won by the team of the developer AM Real Estate, which will now acquire the territory of the prison (7.5 hectares) from the state. OMA is engaged in the masterplanning of the site and the design of a significant part of the buildings (their total area will be 135,000 m2). The consortium also includes FABRICations architects and LOLA Landscape. The future complex was named Bajes Kwartier - "Prison Quarter". Implementation should start in the first months of 2018.
OMA architects, led by partners Rainier de Graaf and David Janotten, will “conceptually” maintain the wall surrounding the prison, while pedestrian and bicycle bridges will connect the complex to the surrounding neighborhoods. There will be practically no cars in Bajes Kwartier, and gardens and fitness grounds will occupy a significant place.
Prefabricated elements of the facades of prison towers will be used for the walls for new residential buildings, window bars will become balustrades, cell doors - pavements along the edges of pedestrian bridges.
