Designed by Team V Architecture, The renovated House of Province of Gelderland in Arnhem (the Netherlands) has received this year the Best Building of the Year Award by the Royal Institute of Dutch Architects. The project called for the renovation of the existing building and the construction of a new extension, resulting in the creation of a sustainable and contemporary work environment while maintaining the monumental character of the original building.
“The beauty of the House of Province is how we have been able to incorporate design at every level, from the urban planning scale to the minutiae of the details”, says Jeroen van Schooten, who as architect and director of Team V Architecture is responsible for the architectural design.
photography by © Jannes Linders
The design enhances the relationship between the market square and the Rhine river by means of an elevated plaza which encircles the buildings. Further connections to the public realm are created by new pedestrian routes which run across the complex, one of which passes through the new building where passers-by can see the Province at work. Links between the new building and the monumental House of the Province are made by bridges of mirrored aluminum whose reflections obscure the boundaries between building and bridge, old and new. According to Van Schooten, the bridges are exemplary of the overall design: “The House of Province surprises and connects”.
photography by © Jannes Linders
The former courtyard of the House of the Province has been transformed into an indoor plaza by means of an innovative roof design using ETFE cushions. “The design of the roof was influenced by the desire to have as minimal an impact as possible on the monument, and therefore a lightweight construction of rods and cables was designed in collaboration with SIDstudio,” says Van Schooten. The rods of the roof structure is orientated to the center point of the courtyard and incorporate LED lighting at their ends. “It makes for an interesting play of light: as you walk through the atrium, the roofscape changes all the time.” The new roof not only provides a monumental reception hall, but it also helps to significantly reduce energy consumption.
photography by © Jannes Linders
“We have tried to use and strengthen the cultural-historical value of the House of Province, a famed Gesamtkunstwerk from the fifties, which means the building can be seen as one complete work of art.” Characteristic motifs from the monument, such as the hourglass pattern, return to the new building and new characteristic elements have been added. An example of such a new element is the blue staircase in the courtyard, which also serves as the information desk, seating area and tree planter. “The blue steel and the hourglass are part of the Gesamtkunstwerk. If you look around, you will encounter it everywhere in the buildings. It is this kind of details that make the House of Province so very special”.
photography by © Jannes Linders
The House of Province has been procured as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), led by VolkerWessels Integral, who is responsible for the Design, Construction, Maintenance and Operation for a period of 20 years. The design team was made up of Team V Architecture, OTH architects, Karras and Brands Landscape Architects, Bureau Fritz, Bartels, SIDstudio, DGMR, and Valstar Simonis.
photography by © Jannes Linders
Project Info:
Architects: Team V Architecture
Location: Arnhem, The Netherlands
Lead Architects: Jeroen van Schooten (partner/architect), Irène Horvers (senior architect)
Area: 30000.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Jannes Linders
Manufacturers: Maars, Alucobond, Microbeton
Project Name: House of Province
