The Zuidas is slowly transforming from a prime office location into a nice area to live in. For 15 years, real estate agent Eefje Voogd has been involved with this…
The Zuidas is slowly transforming from a prime office location into a nice area to live in. For 15 years, real estate agent Eefje Voogd has been involved with this process and she recently moved into an apartment at the Zuidas. “This is really next-level living in a bustling area.”
Who knows better what’s going on at the Zuidas and what’s going to happen in the near future than the responsible city councillor? Eric van der Burg sheds his light…
Who knows better what’s going on at the Zuidas and what’s going to happen in the near future than the responsible city councillor? Eric van der Burg sheds his light on what is arguably the most exciting area of Amsterdam at the moment.
When creating a great atmosphere at home, many different factors play a role. One important aspect is room acoustics and the sound coming from a good speaker system. Bang &…
When creating a great atmosphere at home, many different factors play a role. One important aspect is room acoustics and the sound coming from a good speaker system. Bang & Olufsen recently introduced the ultimate must-have for design and music lovers: the new wireless speaker system BeoSound Shape delivers an experience comparable to being at a live concert. And if that in itself isn’t enough, buyers can also customize the look and performance of their own Shape.
The name B&O speaks for itself. The brand’s high-end audio and video products have been immensely popular, ever since Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen established their company in the Danish town of Struer in 1925. People all over the world praise their superior sound and image quality, as well as the user-friendliness of B&O products.
This smart system consists of multiple elements, providing a fantastic sound experience comparable to being at a live concert
At Hegeman’s Bang & Olufsen showrooms in Amstelveen and Bussum, one enters a world full of state-of-the-art audio and video technology that’s pleasing to the eyes and ears. Brothers Fred and Jaap Hegeman are at the helm of the family business that was founded in 1931. “We’re the third generation and the passion for B&O is simply in our blood; we inherited it from our father. In the early seventies, he was one of the first dealers of this exclusive Danish brand in the Netherlands.”
Over the years, Bang & Olufsen has become a timeless icon in the universe of sound and video. The BeoSound Shape got its first showing at the Italian Salone Internationale del Mobile. Since August 2017, this fantastic system is available at Hegeman’s stores.
“Shape is a wall-mounted modular speaker system consisting of a unique combination of speakers, amplifiers and acoustic dampers that allows for customization of both sound performance and visual design. It is based on hexagonal elements that are fixed to the wall, offering the opportunity to create a harmonious environment and enriching the interior with shapes and sound. The resonance damping qualities improve the acoustics of the room, even when the system is switched off. This means the Shape is also the perfect system for large spaces such as shops, studios, showrooms, hotel lobbies and offices”, Fred Hegeman says with enthusiasm.
Music and noise really have a strong impact on our living environment. People responsible for private and commercial interior design obviously try their best to eliminate noise as much as possible and optimize room acoustics for music and other audio experiences.
That’s why Bang & Olufsen has dubbed the Shape the ‘Band on the wall’
“B&O designer Øivind Alexander Slaatto created the BeoSound Shape with sound as his starting point and assuming that the climate indoors is extremely important for our well-being. One crucial aspect is light, another factor being air quality. But acoustics are just as important because it has a strong influence on us humans on both a physical and psychological level. The Shape has a twofold objective: the speaker system offers a design-oriented solution to the issue of bad acoustics and creates an innovative musical experience.”
This smart system consists of multiple elements, providing a fantastic sound experience comparable to being at a live concert. That’s why Bang & Olufsen has dubbed the Shape the ‘Band on the wall’.
In contrast to other speaker systems, the BeoSound Shape allows for customized design: buyers can define the desired dimension, shape, colours and even the sound performance of their system. Fred: “The modular concept of the Shape is based on one geometric form: the hexagon. Each separate element serves as a speaker, amplifier or acoustic damper and can be configured in endless combinations making it ideal for both small and large rooms.”
Using the online Configuration Tool buyers can realize the design of their choice. And due to the cooperation with Kvadrat, a Danish manufacturer of designer fabrics, it is possible to go for a high-quality wool finish, allowing for boundless mixing and matching! Apart from classic black there are colours with catchy names such as: Parisian Night Blue, Purple Heart, Infantry Green, Brazilian Clay and Wild Dove Grey.
Distinctive look
With all the available options every BeoSound Shape will be truly unique and it will give any wall in any room a very distinctive look. Plus, it is nice to know that the invisible ‘connectivity hub’ at the back of one of the hexagons allows you to stream music from mobile devices.
“Moreover, the Shape comes fitted with a multi-room feature, making it a fully-fledged member of the family of Bang & Olufsen products capable of playing different music genres in different rooms.” People looking to enrich the features and esthetics of their home or office with a BeoSound Shape, should not hesitate to visit a Hegeman store. Good to know: the Hegeman brothers employ their own technical and installation engineers, as one might aspect from such a household name in audio and video.
Amsterdamseweg 418 – 420 Amstelveen
T 020 – 641 4019
Vlietlaan 4A Bussum
T 035 – 693 3973
E info-amstelveen@bohegeman.nl
We like it tidy, that’s the motto at Gelderlandplein in Amsterdam-Zuid. This shopping centre with almost a hundred stores is a real shopper’s paradise. And if you need a break…
The wonderfull shoppingmall Gelderlandplein
We like it tidy, that’s the motto at Gelderlandplein in Amsterdam-Zuid. This shopping centre with almost a hundred stores is a real shopper’s paradise. And if you need a break from all that shopping, there are plenty of places to relax and have a coffee, grab a healthy snack or order a nice meal.
“Jan Verschoor’s work is a prime example of elegance – we call it ‘solidified perfection’,” says Willem de Winter of fine art dealers E.J. van Wisselingh & Co. During PAN…
“Jan Verschoor’s work is a prime example of elegance – we call it ‘solidified perfection’,” says Willem de Winter of fine art dealers E.J. van Wisselingh & Co. During PAN Amsterdam, he presents sculptures made by Jan Verschoor.
He regularly stops by at the Zuidas, soaking up the atmosphere. And long before Circl opened its doors he’d already been inside, driven by curiosity. Cor van Zadelhoff is 79…
He regularly stops by at the Zuidas, soaking up the atmosphere. And long before Circl opened its doors he’d already been inside, driven by curiosity. Cor van Zadelhoff is 79 years old and may have limited his working life to being a supervisory board member of the company that bears his name, he’s still busy following the trends in real estate. “Twenty years ago, I foresaw the huge future potential of the Zuidas.”
“This is also part of the Zuidas,” he says, spreading his arms invitingly towards the garden behind his stately office in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid. Van Zadelhoff doesn’t really believe in strictly delimited areas. “After all, it’s a very short distance from the Zuidas to the Amsterdamse Bos or the Vondelpark. And the Rembrandt Tower is just a stone’s throw away from the Amstel Station.”
The Zadelhoff Company participates in no less than three projects at the Zuidas: NoMA House, Gershwin Brothers and Hourglass. “We’re working together with the Maarsen Group. Twenty years ago, we were involved in the land exchange of the Popeye Gold Star grounds (the tennis club that was located here, E.H.). Back then, we made the deliberate decision to combine working and living in order to create a bit of a buzz in the area. Just like the Loetje restaurant at the ground floor of Gershwin Brothers does these days.”
Increasing demand
A day before the interview, Jones Lang LaSalle mentioned in the Zuidas Office Monitor that this area is in a very strong position. ‘The Zuidas benefits from the increasing demand for high-quality office buildings in the city’. Standard Life Investments claims that Amsterdam, partly due to the Zuidas, has the best office real estate market in Europe. Currently, there are five office blocks being built, with a total floor space of 60,000 m2. Plus, there are plans for a further 150,000 m2 of office space (new build property and renovations).
And then there is the biggest single-asset deal in Dutch history: in April 2017, the French property investment company Amundi bought the Atrium at the Zuidas for 500 million euros. As recently as 2012, the property changed hands for a mere 100 million euros.
Van Zadelhoff doesn’t want to comment on this deal –“that is up to my CEO, Maarten Feilzer” – as he himself is “only on the supervisory board”. The real estate agency he founded in 1968 became DTZ Zadelhoff in 1993 and merged with Cushman & Wakefield in 2015. After DTZ Zadelhoff took over Cushman & Wakefield in 2016, the prefix ‘DTZ’ was dropped and Cor van Zadelhoff was finally able to go full circle and call his company ‘Zadelhoff’ again.
Magnet
While Mr. van Zadelhoff prefers to leave comments on the current market developments to his CEO, he doesn’t mind giving his view on the Zuidas: “A magnet for the entire city. The Zuidas serves the top end of the real estate market but at the same time it can only meet a small part of the overall demand. For example, a large organization like ING Bank moved to Amsterdam Zuidoost, because there is more floor space available in that area. The same holds true for Deutsche Bank. And yet the Zuidas is a real magnet; even more remote areas such as Riekerpolder and Sloterdijk benefit from its reputation.”
“Over the years, the Zuidas gained enough substance to expand significantly. At first there was only the district court and the ABN AMRO headquarters. Look at the place now! And there is a lot more differentiation with companies like AkzoNobel and Cushman & Wakefield. It has become a very pleasant and vibrant part of town. My great hero is the Dutch architect and city planner H.P. Berlage. His ‘Plan Zuid’ is a prime example of a successful development project that combines living, working and relaxing. This combination is essential if you don’t want to create a ghost town like Houston or Dallas. Even in New York they changed course: now there’s a better mix of living and working, even in downtown Manhattan.”
Crowd-pullers
“The Zuidas is being developed in the spirit of Berlage’s ideals. That makes this area enjoyable and lively. And this mixture of working and living is very important. There is a lot of focus on the so-called ‘plinths’: businesses that attract people, like a book store or a restaurant. But all the commuter traffic is a disaster you really want to avoid. In my opinion, one should be able to walk or cycle to work. The Zuidas offers a nice living environment, with the Amsterdamse Bos and the Vondelpark within striking distance. The river Amstel is nearby and the bustling RAI area lies just around the corner.”
The lack of good residential property in the very top segment – essential to attract large companies and their CEOs to Amsterdam – really poses a problem, according to Van Zadelhoff. “It’s very hard to find and that will cause the square metre price for luxury apartments to rise from 10,000 to 20,000 euros. Mind you, I’m talking about Greater Amsterdam because such residential property doesn’t need to be located right at the Zuidas. At the same time, I think Amsterdam is a fantastic city. I love it. If only I could find enough room for my 25 Frisian horses I’d consider moving here.”
Irreplaceable
But Van Zadelhoff is still pretty active in Amsterdam, especially when it comes to investing in unique edifices. “Good real estate stays good real estate, so you don’t want to sell it. I’m looking for buildings that are irreplaceable because of their location or quality, such as the Stage Entertainment building at De Boelelaan and Aldo van Eyck’s Burgerweeshuis at the Amstelveenseweg.” The latter building is owned by Zadelhoff and Nijkerk. The development company BPD – formerly the Bouwfonds – will soon move into this building and use it as its regional headquarters for the north-western part of the Netherlands.
“By the way, just like AkzoNobel, the Bouwfonds has a very nice art collection. Yesterday, I went to Voorlinden (the museum in the town of Wassenaar owned by the entrepreneur and art collector Joop van Caldenborgh, E.H.), another wonderful project that adds a lot of value to the concept of living, working and relaxing. Museums are very important to create a nice, attractive living environment. The same holds true for the Zuidas; no wonder there are talks about opening a museum there.”
Cor van Zadelhoff in brief:
Studies Economics at University of Amsterdam
Establishes Zadelhoff Makelaars in 1968
Member of supervisory board Zadelhoff
Invests in unique property, e.g. the Volkskrant building, the Diamant Bourse building and the Renault building
Adviser on renovation work in museums such as the Stedelijk Museum and the Groote Museum (part of Artis Zoo)
Maikel Mulder’s flower shop at Gustav Mahlerlaan 401-403, on the ground floor of the Amsterdam Symphony skyscraper, catches the eye. This sympathetic flower arranger operates a business – Season Flowers…
Season Flowers at Zuidas
Maikel Mulder’s flower shop at Gustav Mahlerlaan 401-403, on the ground floor of the Amsterdam Symphony skyscraper, catches the eye. This sympathetic flower arranger operates a business – Season Flowers – that adds some real flourish to the area. It is full of colourful plants and bouquets and offers a welcome change to the sleek modern buildings at the Zuidas.
As a PA to expats and VIPs, Audrey Mezas offers practical guidance to people from all over the world who settle at or around the Zuidas. Her clients range from…
As a PA to expats and VIPs, Audrey Mezas offers practical guidance to people from all over the world who settle at or around the Zuidas. Her clients range from CEOs to musicians and from start-ups to Olympic athletes. Mezas’ agency, Expat in Amsterdam, helps them with anything they need. “When a request comes in I often don’t know who the actual client is. Not that it really matters as they all receive the same high-quality service.”
“As far as I know, I’m the only one in the Netherlands in this line of business”, Audrey Mezas explains. There are relocation advisors, but the real stress for many of her clients actually begins after being handed the keys to their new home. “Make a phone call over here and the standard message you get is “all our lines are busy at the moment.” Moreover, many websites still only offer information in Dutch only. That’s why I offer this high-end personal service, ‘Executive Lifestyle Management’, for both private and business customers.”
After mapping her client’s needs, Mezas starts looking for the specialists to take care of the various tasks, such as real estate agents, chauffeurs, builders, mortgage advisors, doctors and bodyguards. Over the years, she has built a network of 64 professionals. “Recently, I collaborated with a team of specialists on an assignment for an American company; within 7 weeks we managed to find a suitable location for them and helped with the necessary paperwork to buy the property”. While leaving specialized tasks to the qualified members of her team, Mezas is in charge of the entire process and acts as the ‘quality controller’: “I’m there when the real estate agent carries out the technical inspection and I’m also present when the keys to the property change hands.”
Saving time and money
The above is just one example of the service she offers as every client has unique requirements. Mezas helps CEOs who only spend 24 hours in the Netherlands to finalize a business take-over but she also assists Olympic athletes who want to buy a house and stay here for 5 years but who need to be able to focus on their training and their families. She won’t mention any names since confidentiality is key to her profession. She can draw from personal experience when it comes to living in a foreign country with a language you don’t speak and a culture you don’t know. Her father was a banker who was transferred to another country every two years.
“My mother, my younger brother and me followed my dad wherever he went: from Holland to Tahiti and Australia and from the Middle East to the United States. Every time we were facing a new culture with different rules. My mother was brilliant in finding out how it all worked’. To save other expats these troubles she started Expat in Amsterdam®in 2012. ‘With my help my clients save valuable time and money as I have the expertise and the contacts expats do not have.”
Respect for etiquette
Apart from all the differences between the 17 places she lived at in her youth, Mezas also saw a lot of similarities. “Wherever we were living, business people came around to our house and deals were negotiated during a dinner party or a poolside barbecue. And the same principle applies here in Amsterdam: deals are finalized over breakfast, lunch or dinner. ‘So I need to go to the gym a lot”, she smiles.
Her parents taught her the importance of etiquette and this still helps her to this very day. “You always need to respect the way things work in a different culture, especially being a business woman. Information on unwritten rules in other cultures I often deduct from The New York Times and the The Financial Times: they are full of stories on business life in virtually every country. Sometimes I call my dad to ask him about a culture I don’t know. That is if I there is time to call him because it does happen that I need to act on very short notice.”
Raising the bar
No matter how difficult a request or how quickly it needs to be done, Mezas will always try to find a solution. “I don’t like saying ‘no’. If the assignment is really impossible I’ll accept that but it hardly ever is. One day, a client wanted to build a music studio so I decided to call Armin van Buuren’s office. I spoke to his right hand who referred me to the person who constructed their studio. That’s the way I operate; if people ask me something, they expect me to do it perfectly.”
Mezas believes that knowledge is power, therefore she always uses the best experts in their field. “I’m a connector, I want to bring people together. My experts are very professional but above all they are very fine people and I trust them completely. I have no choice because this job never stops. Normally, I work from 8 till 8 but when a project is running my client can contact me 24/7.”
And this doesn’t bother her at all. “I’ve never been so happy. I know I’m made for this and I feel privileged to have found my niche. The best part of this job is people giving you their trust. When a request comes in I don’t always know who the actual client is. Not that it really matters as everyone receives the same high-quality service. When the job is done and the client is happy, I feel a sense of relief that really gives me a huge kick! At the same time I have to keep raising the bar for myself: when I’ve managed to find a house for a client really quickly, the next one will have heard about and will demand the same service.”
Growing with global allure
Audrey Mezas enjoys the fact that her work is mainly centered around the Zuidas and in Amsterdam-Zuid. “Some of my clients are located as far away as Wageningen, but 90 percent of the expats live in this area. And that’s great because this is my home turf. “Zuid” is booming and things change quickly here. That Expat in Amsterdam®, that’s me: an urban kameleon. I love Amsterdam and I’m proud of this city and the Netherlands. It is wonderful to see it developing but I do feel it’s important to do it with global allure. That’s my style; I sell expertise with attention to detail and focus on quality. You need that if you want to achieve something. My dream is to offer this service on a large scale but always with personal attention.”
In 2012, Audrey-Lynn Mezas started Expat in Amsterdam, an agency offering PA services to expats, executives and VIPs. Her clients include professional athletes, bankers, CEOs, start-up companies and musicians – some only staying here for 24 hours, others spending 5 years or more in the Dutch capital.
In September, Circl – the pavilion located in front of the ABN AMRO building – opened its doors. This ultra-sustainable edifice is now ready to facilitate special encounters between employees…
In September, Circl – the pavilion located in front of the ABN AMRO building – opened its doors. This ultra-sustainable edifice is now ready to facilitate special encounters between employees and customers, educational institutions, companies, start-ups and local residents. Everyone is welcome to join in and start making a step to a more sustainable world.
When creating a great atmosphere at home, many different factors play a role. One important aspect is room acoustics and the sound coming from a good speaker system. Bang &…
When creating a great atmosphere at home, many different factors play a role. One important aspect is room acoustics and the sound coming from a good speaker system. Bang & Olufsen recently introduced the ultimate must-have for design and music lovers: the new wireless speaker system BeoSound Shape delivers an experience comparable to being at a live concert. And if that in itself isn’t enough, buyers can also customize the look and performance of their own Shape.
The name B&O speaks for itself. The brand’s high-end audio and video products have been immensely popular, ever since Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen established their company in the Danish town of Struer in 1925. People all over the world praise their superior sound and image quality, as well as the user-friendliness of B&O products.
At Hegeman’s Bang & Olufsen showrooms in Amstelveen and Bussum, one enters a world full of state-of-the-art audio and video technology that’s pleasing to the eyes and ears. Brothers Fred and Jaap Hegeman are at the helm of the family business that was founded in 1931. “We’re the third generation and the passion for B&O is simply in our blood; we inherited it from our father. In the early seventies, he was one of the first dealers of this exclusive Danish brand in the Netherlands.”
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