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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Schubertsingel Den Bosch Office Building Transformation in Bolduque, The Netherlands by Houben / Van Mierlo ArchitectenJuly 18th, 2019 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten Diagonally opposite the county hall in Den Bosch stood the former Rijkswaterstaat office building (1977). It was built in a brutalist, no-nonsense concrete architecture, but placed within the neighbourhood with surprising sensitivity and modesty, as if it were a guest. Yet it is here to stay. The character of this building, with its strikingly heavy construction, projections and special concrete details, was reason enough to redevelop it in a sustainable way. From an urban development perspective, it was also important not to add any (new build) volumes to this location. The main question was how this building, which was socially isolated within the area, could be transformed into a building that was no longer a guest, but an integral part of the neighbourhood.  Image Courtesy © René de Wit
 Image Courtesy © René de Wit To meet and to stay Based on its powerful appearance and ‘landing’ in the neighbourhood, the existing building particularly needed more contact with its surroundings. This objective has been realised in several ways; the programmatic connection with the environment has been taken into account, as well as ways of opening up the building and bringing the surrounding landscape inside. One of the interventions used to achieve this is the creation of a hollow core inside the building. The internal courtyard has thus been lowered by a metre and the existing stairs have been lengthened from ground level to meet this square. This gives the dynamics of the courtyard a real boost. The external stairs on this inner square also contribute to this. Residents are encouraged to ‘flow out’ of the building onto ground level, instead of disappearing into anonymous stairwells. As such, residents and visitors meet each other and enter into conversation. The green courtyard and the connection with the existing pond also stimulates the residents’ collective. By incorporating another function into the ground floor in the form of a dental centre (orthodontics, laboratory and dentists), the building has become part of the neighbourhood and thus more approachable. The routes taken by the residents of the building and the visitors to this social/commercial location intersect; a conscious choice that increases the dynamics and amount of contact.  Image Courtesy © René de Wit  Image Courtesy © René de Wit Contribution to the Surroundings Alongside the mixed programme and increased accessibility through removing its closed outer skin, the use of the façade zone and landscape integration have been used to realise this goal. The inner and outer courtyards and the pond are connected by the new, wide stairs from ground level to the building’s inner courtyard. In order to bring the landscape into effect, MTD-landschapsarchitecten has designed a green plan and ensured that the building becomes an integral part of the landscape with pond, squares, green zones and the street. Furthermore, the greenery has literally been drawn into the building in order to shape green living in the inner courtyard.  Image Courtesy © René de Wit  Image Courtesy © René de Wit The existing (mostly hidden) unique construction components of the building have been stripped of their camouflage. The brutalist concrete construction has been unpacked and made visible from both the exterior and interior. When entering or exiting the residential building, you even literally walk under it and can almost touch it. The rhythm of the original construction has been made visible in the façade composition through the hybrid grid, immediately behind which is the balcony or residence. The position of a balcony, or more living space, is in line with the orientation of the sun and the desired programme. This façade grid, completed in glass, has also ensured that it is possible to realise a residential programme in this location that is challenging in terms of noise. The two-layered addition has loaded and intensified the place and the building, so that the desired programme could be realised. A smart weight reduction in the existing building on the first, second and third layers, and an overcapacity in the foundations has meant that the building could be extended by not just one but two layers without needing constructive alterations to the existing foundations. This has not only benefited the programme, but also the urban/architectonic composition. With these interventions, the building has been transformed from ‘solitary/untouchable’ to ‘communal/communicating’ and thereby forms a catalyst for the quality of life in the area. It has become a component of the diversity of the neighbourhood and has incorporated effortlessly.  Image Courtesy © René de Wit Nature and Sustainability To give the building a second lease of life, there is a focus on the highest possible energy standards, sustainably sourced raw materials/material use and future flexibility for a possible third life. The building is ‘all-electric’ and completely fitted with sustainable energy sources. The green surroundings have been disturbed as little as possible and almost completely conserved and extended at the edge of the building as well as in the inner courtyard. All existing trees have been retained, whereby a few were even moved. The biodiversity has thereby been affected as little as possible. Rain water is slowly infiltrated or directly discharged at ground level.  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten  Image Courtesy © Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten
Contact Houben / Van Mierlo Architecten
Tags: Bolduque, The Netherlands Categories: Building, Office Building, Renovation |
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