Located in Amsterdam, Hotel Jakarta is an energy neutral building with 200 luxurious hotel rooms. Unique for the Netherlands is its 30m high load-bearing timber structure. All beams, columns, ceilings and window frames are made of natural,FSC or PEFC certified timber. 350 PV panels are fully integrated into the loggias design while the glass rooftop covering the atrium also contains BIPV cells that, simultaneously collect energy and function as sun shading for the inner garden.
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At the tip of Amsterdam's Java Island, Hotel Jakarta makes a clear architectural statement. SeARCH, in collaboration with WestCord Hotels, won the city council's tender to develop a hotel that would stand out architecturally while also prioritizing sustainability and public use. The result is an energy-neutral building that serves as a living laboratory for sustainable urban development. From the outset, the project applied long-term thinking, a life-cycle approach, and circular economy principles.
Reducing energy demand
The hotel reduces energy demand through a highly optimized building shell. The closed facade has a high thermal resistance, while the roof achieves an even higher value. Triple glazing in passive frames limits cooling demand. Airtightness targets are set at passive house level.
Form and performance
The building's compact form minimizes heat loss, while the thin, prefabricated concrete floors provide thermal mass to regulate temperature. The central atrium and subtropical garden act as a thermal buffer, storing solar heat in winter and providing cooling in summer.
Each hotel room has a lockable outdoor space, creating an intermediate climate zone that improves thermal resistance and allows natural ventilation, even on wind-exposed upper floors.
Active measures further reduce energy consumption: LED lighting with occupancy detection and daylight control, efficient elevators, hot-fill washing machines, and an energy-generating revolving door. Rainwater is collected and reused for flushing toilets and irrigating the inner garden. These measures contribute to an EPC value of 0.00, confirming the building’s energy-neutral status.
Heating and cooling
Heating and cooling are provided by an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system, storing heat in summer for use in winter and storing cold in winter for use in summer. A heat pump efficiently raises this low-temperature energy to a usable level.
Heat recovery is applied throughout: a balanced ventilation system recovers heat from exhaust air, while waste heat from grey water is recovered for use in domestic hot water and space heating. The climate control system is connected to the reservation platform, ensuring energy is not wasted in unoccupied rooms.
On-site renewable energy
Most of Hotel Jakarta's domestic hot water comes from 290 square meters of solar collectors. A dense photovoltaic (PV) system covers 1,130 square meters of roof space, oriented east-west. BIPV is integrated into the atrium roof and facades, generating electricity while providing shading. The total PV capacity exceeds 340 kWp, with an annual output of more than 250,000 kWh, surpassing the “gold” classification for sustainable hotels.
Material and structure
Material use is minimized through compact form, prefabrication, and standardized measurements. The 30-meter-high load-bearing timber structure, the first of its kind in the Netherlands, is built from renewable, certified wood. Only the timber floors include a concrete screed layer for thermal mass, acoustics, and fire resistance. Off-site prefabrication of room units reduced construction time and disruption.
The “structural shell as finish” approach reduces short-lived finishes by leaving timber exposed on most walls and ceilings. Bamboo flooring is used in living areas. The facade, 80 percent triple-glazed, is fully recyclable.
The hybrid timber-concrete system was developed with input from the architect of PATCH22 and tested for fire resistance, stability, and soundproofing. Hotel Jakarta and PATCH22 were the tallest timber buildings in the Netherlands at the time.
The structural shell spans from the facade to the corridor wall, allowing column-free floors. Service shafts along the corridor provide flexibility for future conversion between hotel, residential, or office use.
Future-proofing is addressed through facade design: enclosed balconies create a double facade for sound insulation, overhanging slabs provide passive shading while minimizing artificial lighting, and BIPV is integrated into the south facade’s graphic design.
Mobility and access
To promote sustainable mobility, the hotel offers bicycles and electric scooters, while limiting car access. Guests can connect to Amsterdam Central Station via Hotel Jakarta’s electric water link. As part of WestCord’s wider approach, its Rotterdam property supports similar low-carbon travel through the city’s water taxi network.
Hotel Jakarta serves as an example of social entrepreneurship. WestCord Hotels also collaborates with local colleges and agencies to provide training and work experience for young people and the long-term unemployed.
