In collaboration with real estate company Heren2, Erwin Stam Tuinstudio and Ebben Trees have transformed a vacant plot on Amsterdam’s Minervahavenweg into an idyllic green retreat where land and water meet: Houthavens Botanique. Sharing the belief that a healthy balance between greenery and stone enhances wellbeing, Ebben and Stam have worked together on several projects before. With Houthavens Botanique, they aim to enrich the public space – creating a unique natural environment that highlights the value and vitality of outdoor living.

A green boost for the city

The Houthavens district lies to the west of Central Station, near the Spaarndammerbuurt neighbourhood and along the banks of the River IJ. Once a busy commercial dockyard storing timber from Scandinavia, Africa, Asia and Russia, it has now evolved into Amsterdam’s newest residential area. Around twenty years ago, Heren2 – a real estate company specialising in the redevelopment of major urban sites – helped breathe new life into the area by introducing homes and offices. Now, driven by a passion for enhancing and greening public spaces, Heren2 is converting an unused plot on Minervahavenweg into a community garden. Together with Ebben Tree nursery and Erwin Stam Tuinstudio, they have developed a ten-year vision for a public green oasis.

A place to meet

The name refers both to the site’s history and to the word botany, derived from Ancient Greek and meaning “to nourish”. Here, that meaning takes on a symbolic form: “to inspire”. Surrounded by blossoming flowers, lush planting and gently swaying trees, bathed in sunlight or shade, touched by the breeze and accompanied by the sound of birdsong and rippling water, Houthavens Botanique invites you to pause, reconnect and recharge. It’s a place to meet others, and perhaps even more importantly, yourself.

A multifunctional pocket park

Inspired by the pocket parks of New York and Paris, Houthavens Botanique is a compact yet impactful green space within the urban landscape. More than a temporary park, it also serves as a testing ground for urban greening. Which tree and plant species will flourish in a changing climate? And how can greenery make city life more enjoyable? The insights gained here will help shape future projects.

Trees for the future

Every tree species in the park has been carefully chosen for its ability to cool the environment, store water and purify the air. These trees provide essential ecological benefits and strengthen the natural balance of the urban ecosystem. As weather patterns become more extreme, they contribute to a safer, healthier and more resilient cityscape.

The selection was made with attention to characteristics such as drought tolerance, winter hardiness and resistance to road salt and air pollution. Houthavens Botanique is therefore not only growing plants, but cultivating resilience for people, wildlife and the climate.

Art, culture and community

Over the next decade, Houthavens Botanique aims to be more than just a collective garden focused on climate, sustainability and biodiversity. It also seeks to forge an inspiring link between nature and art. The first step in this direction is a mural created by the Berlin artist collective Innerfields. In the months ahead, visitors will also be able to enjoy a range of accessible, small-scale creative initiatives – from exhibitions and music to picnics – experienced from the specially designed park furniture or along its winding paths. These activities underscore the park’s multifunctional and social character. In ten years’ time, the park itself may make way for new developments, but its trees, plants and materials will live on elsewhere in Amsterdam. In this way, Houthavens Botanique acts as a model for future green public projects across the city.