This new building had become a recognisable beacon on the edge of the city of Assen. The building accommodates several emergency services such as a firestation, the Area Health Authority and the Safety Region Drenthe. Together with the Koopmans Bouwgroep, VVKH won the design & build competition. The new building is compact, sturdy looking and radiates preparedness for an emergency. All functions have been placed under a single roof, organised around a central atrium. From the atrium there’s a view on the court yard where fireman are practicing. The firetrucks are stationed around the court yard, ready to tear out. Offices are concentrated on the higher floors overlooking the highway A28. The building has a very high sustainability-rating (Dutch GPR-score 8,0).
| Architects | Gerrit-Jan van Rijswijk |
| Employees | Thomas Gillet |
The former university building at the Stationsweg, has been renovated and expanded into a 118-room economy hotel. It is the first franchise hotel of all 870 Ibis hotels in the world and the first Ibis hotel according to the new Ibis generation formula. The new hotel is located opposite Leiden station and is clearly visible from the railway and station.
The 60s building has a completely new facade. The horizontality of the original facade has been enhanced even more in the new facade by providing the parapets of all floors with relatively narrow bands of ceramic elements, placed in varying colors. The black frames and cladding are fitted with a deep gap in relation to the ceramic elements. This makes the colorful horizontal ceramic elements iconic. The facade is continued above the roof. The high, slightly recessed eaves provides a clear termination and also shields the installations on the roof. The plinth of the building is made of a robust stone and a lot of glass. Together with the long white stately canopy of light concrete, they form the basis for the horizontally articulated facade on the one hand and an inviting entrance to the hotel on the other. The high ground floor has been made suitable for public functions such as reception, bar, lounge and dining room, also designed by VVKH. In addition to the "Ibis identifiers", the program of requirements and the wishes of the owner, the zoning, materialization, the existing height and the characteristic concrete construction were also the starting point for the interior design.
photography: Roos Aldershoff ©
On the east side of Enschedé, on the outskirts of the city center lies the Miro shopping centre. The former mall has gradually been replaced by new buildings and was worn out. The new building has a curved façade and a large canopy. It embraces the public space and the high-quality parking facility. The shopping facade ends on the east side in a shopping arcade, which contains a large supermarket. On the west side the arcade accumulates into a two storey development. Together with public buildings on the other side of the road the building forms a port that marks the transition from the green suburban neighbourhood to the city itself. The complex includes a green roof that connects on the east end to an ecological zone for butterflies and bats.
In 2003 a sturdy looking fire station was yielded. The building is located at the entrance of Amstelveen form highway A9 and shows the firetrucks ready for duty. The technical building on top of the rough base is used for offices, sleepingquarters and a gym. VVKH also designede the bridges crossing the water towards the building.
Just south of Berkel & Rodenrijs a new fire station has been built to service the suburbs build between Rotterdam and The Hague. Because of the growing number of inhabitants in this region, a future extension is already taken into account in the design. The total plot is covered with a steel mesh in which all future extensions will fit. The façade is covered with corten steel plating wich create the desired sturdy look.
