Completed in 1994, the Tripolis complex sits directly to the south of Van Eyck’s 1960 masterwork, the Amsterdam Orphanage. The three buildings each have clusters of offices radiating from central stair towers, and are notable for their characteristic wood-and-granite façades with colourful window frames. However, Van Eyck’s office design never proved commercially successful and the buildings have struggled with low occupancy. The project was granted Municipal Monument status in 2019, enshrining its status as part of a larger ensemble including the orphanage.
MVRDV’s design will bring much-needed commercial viability to the Tripolis offices while respecting and celebrating the unique qualities of Van Eyck’s design. The key addition is a new 11-storey, 31,500-square-metre “groundscraper” office block which follows the shape of the site’s southern boundary, acting as a sound screen to protect the complex and future housing developments from the noise of the adjacent A10 highway. This block is indented where it meets the existing buildings, adapting its grid structure to the complex geometry of Van Eyck’s offices.

Essential renovation will be applied to the old buildings, retaining each block’s central staircase, the natural stone floors and other characteristic elements. Office spaces will be given a high-quality, industrial feel, while the roofs will be greened and activated with roof gardens and spaces for catering.
A key goal of the transformation project was to ensure that Van Eyck’s buildings would become commercially viable; that this has been achieved is demonstrated by the fact that Uber has signed as the building’s main tenant. The company will occupy the lower floors of the new building and the largest building of the original Tripolis complex. The second-tallest building of the complex, to the north of the site, will remain physically separated from the addition, and will be transformed into affordable rental apartments in a later phase of development. Together, the office addition, the renovation of two of the existing Tripolis buildings as offices and residential transformation of the third, and renovations and alterations to the landscape form a new complex named Tripolis Park that maintains the relationship between the Tripolis complex and the Orphanage.
The new office building will include a green roof with photovoltaic panels, and targets BREEAM Excellent certification. MVRDV designed the redevelopment of the Tripolis office complex for real estate developer Flow.