Future Proof Places #1: Hotel Jakarta

In the 19th and 20th century ships left for Indonesia at the tip of Java island in Amsterdam. Today, an extraordinary hotel stands on the exact spot where many loved ones said their goodbyes or were finally reunited. Hotel Jakarta (2018) symbolizes this important maritime connection and won prices for outstanding architecture and sustainability. The Urban Detectives paid a visit to discover if this ‘connector of worlds’ truly is a future-proof paradise.

View of Jakarta Hotel from Jan Schaeferbrug, Amsterdam.

Urban jungle

When entering the hotel, it’s as if we arrive in a tropical resort. It feels warm, it looks clean and the service is outstanding. Host Hidde immediately offers us a tour. We agree and follow him to the 5th floor. “This is my favourite spot”, he explains while we enjoy the view of a massive indoor Indonesian jungle: the Jakarta Garden.

The Jakarta Garden consists of solely Indonesian plants and was created together with the Hortus Botanicus.

All of a sudden, we hear a zooming noise and notice the roof slightly opens. Hidde explains it needs to be exactly 23 degrees Celsius for the garden to thrive. To sustain this subtropical ecosystem, it is monitored closely. Every week plants are being sprinkled with collected rainwater or water from ‘t IJ, the surrounding river. Even insects are being used to make the plants believe they are in Indonesia.

Future-proofing

As we continue our tour, Hidde explains some of the enormous sustainability investments. The building’s base was made from recycled concrete. On top of that, all the beams and columns are wooden (so no smoking allowed). The two-hundred hotel rooms are prefab units, attached to the building with bolts and nuts in less than three weeks!

The building is completely energy neutral thanks to seven hundred square meters of solar panels, an innovative heat-cold system and led-lighting. One hotel room uses the same amount of energy as one light bulb back in the days! Hidde: “They really thought about everything. Even my suit is made from sustainable cotton.”

Neighbourhood touch

After showing us a suite and the spa, Hidde directs us to our last stop, the Malabar: a sky lounge named after an Indonesian Volcano. On the way, he tells us that due to growth in tourism and resistance, there were strict regulations to open this hotel. For the plans to succeed it was vital to connect the hotel to the surrounding neighbourhood.

After a wild, failed idea of starting a school on the ground floor, the founders decided to make most of Hotel Jakarta’s facilities (garden, pool, restaurant, bar, bakery) accessible for the neighbourhood. That means also residents can drink a fancy cocktail and enjoy the spectacular view from the Malabar.

Sustainable paradise

After having spent a night in this tropical oasis in Amsterdam, we check-out with a big smile on our face and a doggy bag full of delicious Indonesian leftovers in our hands. Hotel Jakarta truly is a sustainable paradise in Amsterdam.

Architect: SeARCH
Owner: WestCord Hotels
Superior room: €205,- (prices can vary, check-out rooms)

This series is about physical places that have been invented or designed by future-proofing: the process of anticipating the future and developing methods of minimizing the effects of shocks and stresses of future events. Know any future-proof places for us to discover? Let us know!