OAT – Amsterdam (Ondergrondse Afval Terminal)

In the heart of Amsterdam’s new Sluisbuurt neighbourhood, OAT—short for Ondergrondse Afval Terminal—brings together circular infrastructure and expressive architecture. Designed by Sjouke Westhoff Architect, the building functions as a central recycling facility within a unique waste system: residents deposit waste into local above-ground terminals, where it is separated and transported underground to OAT. From there, collection trucks gather each stream and take it to its final recycling destination.

Kameleon Solar contributed custom-colored solar panels integrated into the rooftop, turning the building skin into an energy-generating surface without compromising its striking form. This project is especially significant as the first application of Kameleon Solar’s white PV technology. White is one of the most challenging colors in solar design: to appear truly white, a surface reflects much of the visible spectrum, yet solar cells need light to produce energy. Reaching the balance between an “as-white-as-possible” appearance and meaningful power generation was a major technical milestone—and OAT was the first project where we successfully brought that innovation to life at building scale.

The building’s geometry posed a second, equally distinctive challenge. The architect initially envisioned triangular modules, but solar cells are inherently rectangular, making it difficult to fill triangular shapes efficiently without sacrificing performance. Our solution combined aesthetics with engineering: passive panels—produced with the same technology and visually indistinguishable from the active PV—were used for key corner elements, while rooftop areas were optimized with active rectangular modules.

A final layer of customization came from practical maintenance requirements. To keep the roof accessible and accommodate a stairwell, the modules surrounding that area were adapted individually—resulting in unique panel dimensions that ensured the roof remained functional while the architectural language stayed consistent.

Delivered in close collaboration with Van Schie and Sorba Gevelbouw, OAT demonstrates what’s possible when color, geometry, and performance are developed together from the start: a façade that reads as architecture first, and infrastructure that quietly generates clean energy every day.