THE HAGUE: On June 28th, after a construction period of just two years, the new Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague opens its doors to the public for the first time. The surface area of the famous Mauritshuis museum has been doubled – although there is hardly any indication of this fact above ground, thanks to a complex and spectacular feat of engineering which was completed on schedule and within budget. The dramatic yet subtle intervention has solved the logistical problems facing the constantly busy, much-visited museum, while also resulting in a bright and welcoming entrance space characterised by an ingenious and striking use of daylight. The renovation of the existing Mauritshuis was also a part of this project.
Tags: Hague, Netherlands Comments Off on The Underground Extension of the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in Hague, Netherlands by HANS VAN HEESWIJK ARCHITECTS
In the old part of Amstelveen, stemming from the thirties, an office building and a pavilion together form the Bella Donna. The original buildings were designed in the sixties by the architect Webbers. They are situated on an island, surrounded by greenery and water and reachable via a bridge. The client was looking for a new office for his organization, when he came across the Bella Donna. Charmed by the green park-like setting he decided to settle in the pavilion, while the main building was re-designed to rent to others. This major renovation and expansion was the starting point to create a high-quality office near the Stadshart Amstelveen. The Bella Donna now has an exclusive look at a clearing in a woody area.
The art’otel Amsterdam recently opened its doors, this hotel and lifestyle venue blends design, art, and hospitality in a startling new way. Located opposite Amsterdam’s Central Station in a beautiful monumental office the art’otel combines a unique architectural style with modern art inspired interiors. The transformation was the result of a collaboration of ADP architecten and Digital Space for PPHE Hotel Group and provided the city centre with a new cultural hotspot.
The site of this private house is part of a residential redevelopment in Katendrecht, a harbor pier south of Hotel New York. Until the 1970’s Katendrecht was still completely surrounded by harbors and ships. It was Rotterdam’s China Town and red light district. Currently it is incorporated in the ‘Kop van Zuid’ redevelopment as southern part of the city center.
The project “Kinderstad” (Dutch for “children’s city”) emanated from the Young Architects Competition of the Dutch National Board of Architects (BNA) together with the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation (Kinderfonds) in 2003. SPONGE ARCHITECTS & Rupali-Gupta in cooperation with IOU ARCHITECTURE (Björn van Rheenen, Rupali Gupta and Roland Pouw) won the first prize and received at the same time the appointment to realize the winning design for both the exterior and interior work including the management of the project. “Kinderstad” is the first project among the projects presented to the BNA Young Architects Competition that has actually been realized and implemented. The similarity between the result and the competition design is striking. During the process of the implementation almost all ideas and designs have been adopted.
Huize Vreeburg in Rosmalen is a building with a rich history and recognizable located on the corner of a major road through the village . It has in the past, among other things, served as a post office and in recent years was used as a residence.
Sonder Jansen, an international importer, exporter and producer of frozen fruit and vegetables, acquired the property because of its distinctive appearance and wanted to establish his headquarters here. The villa is fully restored and treated with respect to the austere appearance of the villa. The villa houses a conference room , executive offices and the canteen and on the first floor offers space for an apartment where foreign guests of this international trade office can stay . A new staircase provides the necessary grandeur in the interior. The old villa as the new face of the company.
Spordtgebouw is a combined sports facility for three separate schools in the so-called ‘Leerpark’. Traditionally, individual schools have their individual gymnasiums. But by combining the sports halls into one compound the quality of sports education can be improved. A higher degree of collectivity of course enhances complexity but sharing also creates added value. It will for instance be possible to differentiate the halls and apply specific functions like a Dojo. During the day the building is dedicated to the schools, but in the evening and weekends it is open to everybody. As such public money will be used publicly.
The field of coastal defence and waterworks is the epitome of Dutch expertise. Where the famous Delta Works consist of movable dams and locks, the majority of the Dutch coastline is protected by dunes against water. ‘Rijkswaterstaat’, the department responsible for all water related infrastructure within the ministry of infrastructure and environment, is constantly working to improve the coastal defence in the Netherlands. In recent decades it works to strengthen some of the ‘weak links’ along the coast. In many places, dunes and dikes are being strengthened to ensure safety inland for the next 50 years.
The new Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort is a completely new type of hospital. In this impressive health care institution the patient remains central and the connection with the surrounding nature is strongly felt throughout the building. This creates a healing environment where – partly thanks to the inclusion of only private rooms – patients can gain more rest for a fast recovery. Despite its size of more than 100,000 m², it’s a hospital where people can easily find their way around. At the end of 2013, the first patients were welcomed into this spacious, light-filled hospital.
Design: Hans van Beek with Mark Bruin, Jeroen Ekama, Paul Fouchier, Emile Jansen, Menno Roefs
Interior architect: Hans van Beek, Wessel Reinders, Ellen Vaal, Elisabeth Tukker, Thijs Klinkhamer ism Kleurmerk (Erna Tielen)
Design duo competition: Hans van Beek ism Dorte Kristensen en Christina Kaiser
Project leader: Hein Doeksen, Mark Homminga and Ernstjan Cornelis.
Design team: Mira van Beek, Ido de Boer, Roel Buijs, Mart Buter, Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Diana van Dongen, Michel van Gageldonk, Corine Jongejan, Priet Jokhan, Christina Kaiser, Hans Kalkhoven, Arthur Loomans, Mattijs van Lopik, Marjon Main, Cock van Meurs, Katarzyna Nowak, Paul Olink, Andrew Page, Emile Quanjel, Ferry Raedts, Sandrine Rointru, Arie van der Toorn, Felix Timmermans, Tobias Thoen, Paul Verhaar, Robert Witteman, Wais Wardak.
Landscape designer: Hans van Beek and Bruno Doedens (DS Landschapsarchitecten)
Bouwdirectie: Meander Medisch Centrum, Heijmans, Ballast Nedam en atelier PRO
Costs exper: atelier PRO and At Osborne
Contract documents: atelier PRO
General contractor: 2MC3 (Meander Combinatie VOF): Heijmans Bouw, Ballast Nedam en Heijmans Utiliteit (voorheen Burgers Ergon).
Costs:
Meander Medisch Centrum: € 195.000.000
Centrum: € 9.000.000
Interior MMC: € 6.651.620
Garage: € 947.970
College: All amounts excluding vat, remunerations, costs of the land, layout, connecting costs; inclusive risk of price increases, wages, materials, delivery a price level.
The composition of buildings has a clear structure similar to a village with a main avenue and public squares from which all ‘houses’ of the hospital can be accessed. Starting from the entrance, the avenue forms the central axis of the floor plan. All public areas in the building are visible and accessible from this spine. Bordering the avenue are three prominent glass-covered ‘squares’: De Brink and De Foyer to the right and De Oranjerie to the left. Public facilities such as the restaurant, pharmacy, auditorium, and waiting rooms function as additional landmarks for orientation.
The aim is to provide a humane environment for people, who are already under immense stress, to comfortably stay. Furthermore, it involves more than the patients. Visitors and, importantly, hospital staff should feel at ease and be able to navigate their way. Generous open spaces were planned between buildings to allow the landscape to penetrate into the building; as a result daylight can enter deep into the complex and the surrounding nature is always visible. Daylight, nature and good wayfinding are essential elements that help determine the wellbeing of people. A warm natural material, timber is widely used in the public spaces and patient rooms while glass is used throughout for daylight and views.
The wards in this new hospital were designed in an innovative way to provide maximum privacy and comfort for patients. Every patient has his or her own private room equipped with a bathroom and large sliding door that can be moved so that the level of privacy can be personally adjusted. The rooms face onto a wide, wedge-shaped lounge created for patients, visitors and staff. Computer desks are also provided along with a pantry for making coffee and tea. The lounge ends with a panoramic window that affords daylight and views into the surroundings. This arrangement avoids the use of old-fashioned long corridors and, furthermore, allows people to navigate their way around the ward more intuitively. By providing social amenities, patients are encouraged to get quickly back on their feet again.
The clinics are situated to the right of the avenue in a series of individual buildings organised like outspread fingers in the landscape. Here the focus lies on flexibility. As in an empty office building shell, the clinics can be flexibly arranged according to the required needs. Future extensions are possible via the addition of extra wings into the fingered structure. To accommodate the large numbers of patients and visitors that frequent this part of the building, large atriums – named Brink and Foyer – were created between these fingers. Waiting happens as much as possible in these voluminous, light-filled squares where the dining facilities are also located: here, the wait doesn’t feel so eternal.
The key to creating a good atmosphere in a healthcare environment lies in good logistics. Throughout the complex, the ‘hospital machine’ is hidden as much as possible from the sight of patients and visitors. This was made possible by elevating the building on a mound inside which the logistics services are concentrated. Here, the logistics corridor connects all the goods lifts from the wards as well as the clinics with the logistics hub. In this way, hospital supplies can be replenished 24 hours a day without the patient or visitor ever noticing. As the logistics hubs are always hidden behind, the goods are never moved through the departments. In addition, patients are brought to surgery along a separate route from visitors.
Article source: Jo Janssen Architecten & Prof. ir. Wim van den Bergh Architect
As one of the last urban blocks to be realized in the ‘Céramique – Area’ of Maastricht the scheme does not opt for the here common solution of the closed perimeter block, but employs a spatial strategy in which urban space is opened up. Through strategically placing three volumes, it not only makes the public space flow though the site, but it also involves the triangular green area to its east into this interlinking of urban spaces.
Tags: Maastricht, Netherlands Comments Off on Piazza Céramique in Maastricht, Netherlands by Jo Janssen Architecten & Prof. ir. Wim van den Bergh Architect
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