Space Encounters Office for Architecture

The Amsterdamse Bosnest is a new nest in the forest of Amsterdam where landscape, nature education, forest management, cultural history, and architecture come together. Bosnest refers metaphorically to building a nest: a structure made entirely of materials from the immediate surroundings that offers (temporary) shelter. The project is an architectural experiment focused on exploring the potential applications and innovative combinations of soil, reed, biochar, and wood, which are made available through forest management.

The design is based on material and design research that Space Encounters will conduct in collaboration with the Amsterdamse Bos and Dura Vermeer. Furthermore, research, education, and cultural organizations BC Materials, Robotlab HvA, IVN Natuureducatie, Arcam, the Amsterdamse Bostheater, and Vogelwerkgroep Amsterdam are involved in the project within the broader Bosnest partnership network. Together, these organizations are working on the design and realization of an artistic architectural installation that contributes uniquely to the public space and the public character of the forest.

On a long, narrow peninsula in the Zuidelijke Oeverlanden—one of the oldest and most original landscapes in the Forest—a narrow path winds between dense reed beds. At the end of this path, you arrive at a small clearing: the location of Bosnest. For ten years, a viewing platform stood in this otherwise inaccessible landscape, providing a view over the existing reed beds, which can grow up to two meters tall. Through its design and implementation, Bosnest expresses the unique qualities of the location in an innovative way, creating a new space for nature education, forest management and experiencing nature. In short, a new gem in a remarkable piece of nature and cultural history.