The Pulse, Amsterdam [NL]

EeStairs + MVSA + Beyond Space

The Pulse is a mixed-use landmark in Amsterdam’s Zuidas, where offices, homes, cinema auditoria, restaurants and public amenities are gathered around The Blurring Zone, a light-filled plinth conceived as an urban interior. Beyond Space’s design gives this civic ground floor an unusually warm character, with planting, daylight and hospitality spaces drawing visitors naturally towards the stair sequence.

The staircase composition combines a generous curved flight with sharply folded straight runs, linking the lobby, offices and cinema levels as one continuous spatial journey. The principal challenge was structural: early advice called for visible consoles at the kinked flights, but the architectural intent demanded cleaner planes. EeStairs developed the steel-plate balustrades as structural elements in their own right, carefully resolving the complex fixing conditions, including a floor movement joint where support was limited.

Oiled FSC-certified bamboo was chosen for the treads, risers and rounded handrails because it gives the public route warmth, durability and a precise tactile edge. Powder-coated steel provides the disciplined frame, while stainless steel anti-slip strips, concealed fixings and integrated lighting preserve the stair’s calm, continuous line.