Thales wins Public Award of the BNA Best Building
On 21 May, in the Wester Gasfabriek, the adjudicators announced the results of the BNA Best Building of the Year; Rotterdam Central Station was chosen as the BNA Building of the Year. The designers, Team CS, were successful in creating a modern ‘transition machine’. ‘In every respect Rotterdam Central is a fantastic building, that has a ring of excellence about it: Best Building of 2015’, according the adjudicators' chairman Wim Pijbes.
The Public Award of the 10th edition went to High Tech System Park Hengelo. MTD landschapsarchitecten was responsible for the master plan, the development plan and the implementation preparation of the campus. Leijh Kappelhoff Seckel van den Dobbelsteen architecten and Reitsema & partners architects were responsible for the architecture of the head office and the Shared Facility Center.
Thales Hengelo is globally leading with its high tech innovations. A radical rejuvenation of the out-dated accommodation fits within a strategy that prepares Thales for the future. Thales not only invests in its own business, but through this development it also wants to stimulate innovation and cooperation with other high tech businesses.
The design for the campus; the High Tech Systems Park gives shape to Thales' wishes to create a stimulating working environment both for its own employees as well as for other businesses.
The present landscape was the important starting point for the design of the campus. The basic idea is that the campus offers a unique, park-like setting for the offices and centrally situated amenities. In this the campus mainly radiates openness and hospitality.
The aim of the development plan for the campus is the imagination of the landscape of Twente. The original farm ‘De Zegger’ and a water feature in the shape of a Twente stream are prominent and image-determinative elements. Green carriers are the impressive trees that are present and the historical avenue of trees from ‘De Zegger’. The landscape likewise provides important starting points for the materialisation of the buildings, in which granite, wood, concrete and steel are significant.
The ‘Shared Facility Center’ plays an important role; it is generally accessible and forms a meeting place, a host of activities and a podium for an interactive exchange of knowledge. The transition from inside and outside overlaps seamlessly in the fully transparent ground floor. This is where the restaurant and extensive kitchen facilities are located. Because of the large overhang of the upper floor, sheltered outdoor areas are created.
The upper floor has meeting rooms, a presentation centre, classrooms, private dining rooms, and an à la carte restaurant with an outdoor terrace has a more closed character.
The office building houses a workforce of 800 in a flexible environment, in which the office and industrial research stations alternate one another. The idea is that you strengthen each other by seeking connections. That not only applies amongst departments at Thales, but also between Thales and the outside world. The atrium is the central meeting place, where indoors is connected to outdoors.
In May 2014 the employees at Thales ‘occupied’ the new building. People already moved in to their new work stations sooner than was planned for the move. This immediately achieved the envisaged outcome of working together.
client: Thales Nederland
’t Brouwhuis wins 1st prize in the category Private Living Experience BNA Best Building
The 1st prize in the category Private Living Experience of the BNA Best Building of the Year 2015 was awarded by the adjudicators to ’t Brouwhuis. MTD landschapsarchitecten was involved in the positioning of this forest villa on its plot and designed the wooded garden. Bedaux & de Brouwer Architecten were responsible for the design of the forest villa on commission for Simon and Myra van Esch; INAMATT interior architects designed the interior.
’t Brouwhuis is situated between the Speyckven and Brouwkuip in de woods near the Oisterwijk lakes in Oisterwijk; a forest villa which, as regards its architectural radiance and garden, fully ties in with the forest area of the Oisterwijk lakes.
The forest house consists of a main volume that stretches out approximately 27 metres in length in a different direction from Van Tienhovenlaan; the building volume runs perpendicular to the avenue traverse to Van Tienhovenlaan which ends up at the entrance to the parcel of woodland of ‘t Brouwhuis. Here the only accentuation in the building volume is a chimney. The house is fully oriented towards the view of the Brouwkuip on the other side of Van Tienhovenlaan. The façades and saddle-roof have been realised in black-stained planks. This use of materials reminds one of and refers to the forest shed which used to stand here. The interior of the forest villa is largely realised in light Ash wood.
The forest villa has a more or less closed façade to Van Tienhovenlaan and a totally open façade towards the garden side, and blends into the forest landscape by means of a concrete plinth, which floats some 0.60 metres above the ground level. Stair treads at four logical places provide access to this plinth.
The deck forms the transition from inside to outside; from the house to the forest landscape and widens out at places that gives rise to a terrace. This brings about two very special places to sit. In the first instance the terrace on the southern side, at the head, where one has the best view of the Brouwkuip. The terrace on the western side of the house is more private, in line with the kitchen where one has an evening sunset view of the forest and the Speyckven. To enhance the depth of the view towards the forest landscape, a water feature for birds and wildlife has been situated here amongst the trees.
The trees present determine the atmosphere of the garden and have been preserved where possible. A Cor-Ten steel fringe was introduced as a prominent element; this determines the boundary between the actual, more cultured wooded garden and the forest. This naturally running line determines a more intensively maintained section of the grassy patch and a half-paved surface that the provides access to the woodland plot for vehicles and cycling traffic.
A multi-trunked nut tree was introduced as a new element to the southern side of the garden, and to augment the privacy on the northern side an evergreen planting of rhododendrons. Only the entrance, in the extension of the traverse avenue, is marked by a gate. The gate consists of a concrete wall of approximately 0.45 metres in height, in which the letters ’t Brouwhuis have been recessed, as well as a black wooden gate.
client: Simon and Myra van Esch
Reading by Jeroen Hoefsloot & Han Thijssen at the ‘REALISING and RELEASING’ exhibition
Last Wednesday 20 May 2015, the Landscape Architect Jeroen Hoefsloot and Han Thijssen (partner at MTD landschapsarchitecten), who are the initiators of a book with the same title, held a reading in light of the exhibition 'REALISING and RELEASING' in the ABC Architecture Centre in Haarlem, about the body of work by the Garden and Landscape Architect Pieter Buys. In the reading they highlight the meaning of the body of work by Pieter Buys for current garden and landscape architecture in general and for the company MTD landschapsarchitecten in particular.
The exhibition ‘REALISING and RELEASING’ was opened on Sunday 12 April by Eric Luiten, Chief Government Advisor for Landscape and Water. Pieter Buys (1923) is considered to be the Nestor of Dutch gardening and landscape architecture and is the founding father of Buys en van der Vliet and its successor; MTD landschapsarchitecten. Since 1952 Pieter Buys sequentially worked with the partners Jasper Meijers, Hans Warnau and Bob van der Vliet at the agency, and until 1989 when he ‘retired’, at Buys en van der Vliet, Garden and Landscape Architecture in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
The influence of Danish architecture is clearly distinguishable in Pieter Buys' body of work. The numerous partnerships with architects from the Bossche School like Nico van der Laan and Gerard Wijnen, and architects like Jos Bedaux and Pieter Dijkema, then led to projects which concern a unique correlation and dialogue between house and garden, building and landscape. Up to the present day many people are inspired by Pieter Buys' sketching and design-driven research, as well as the drawing style with chalk, charcoal and thick pencils..
In 2008 a richly illustrated book of his work was published; ‘Realising and Releasing’. The publication includes authors such as Marinke Steenhuis and Jeroen Hoefsloot. This book is for sale during the exhibition at a reduced price.
MTD landschapsarchitecten is quite aware of its history and the new generation of landscape architects are also inspired every day by Pieter Buys' work and method of working.
Since 1985 Jeroen Hoefsloot was Pieter Buys' greatest asset as a landscape architect at Buys en van der Vliet. After Pieter Buys left the agency they worked closely together on a project basis for many years. Han Thijssen is one of the partners at MTD landschapsarchitecten and has realised many projects with Pieter Buys over the past 25 years.
The exhibition is still open until 31 May 2015 in the ABC architecture centre in Haarlem.
www.architectuurhaarlem.nl
Woods on top of the Boijmans van Beuningen Collection Building
MTD landschapsarchitecten has been commissioned by MVRDV to jointly design the roof landscape and surroundings of the new Collection Building of the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum which is to be built in Museum Park in Rotterdam. The spectacular circular building will be implemented at the northern edge of Museum Park and will be provided with a mirroring façade, in which the environment will be reflected in a special way.
At an altitude of 32 metres the building will have a special roof landscape with a closed wooded atmosphere; silver birches (Betula pendula) and high grasses form an isolated world, which form part of Museum Park anyway. At the ‘woodland edge’ locally there's a view over the park and the skyline of Rotterdam.
The design for the immediate surroundings of the Collection Building aims to enhance the existing axis between the Kunsthal [art gallery] and the Netherlands Architecture Institute. The rectangular space around the Collection Building acts as an entrance and will be transformed, just like to roof, into a wooded world of silver birches (Betula pendula) and pines (Pinus sylvestris). This wooded world is reflected onto the building's façade and strengthens the green atmosphere. The tree islands in the forest landscape can be used as picnic spots.
After the Collection Building has been completed, the tremendous Boijmans van Beuningen collection, which is currently spread over a number of depots, can be collected within a single building and made accessible to the public.
Widening of the N279 north ‘s-Hertogenbosch / Veghel
The construction combination known as 'De Vaart', comprising Dura Vermeer, Ploegam and Van den Biggelaar, has won the commission in a European tendering procedure by the Province of North Brabant, for the design and realisation of the widening from 2 to 4 traffic lanes of the N279 north ‘s-Hertogenbosch / Veghel.
In the European tendering procedure the Province of North Brabant opted for the innovative performance and for the method based on aiming for best values, the so-called Best Value Procurement, the BVP approach. This method is used for seeking the best Contractor (the Expert), who will accomplish the contract in conformity with the project objectives, with a maximum usage of opportunities and a maximum reduction of risks.
In its tender De Vaart combination has recognised the importance of fitting the roadway into the distinctive bocage (a rustic woodland and pasture terrain) and has committed itself to its performance claims and opportunities.
As part of the De Vaart combination project team, MTD landschapsarchitecten has been involved in the tendering process right from the very beginning. With verifiable performances in previous projects in the field of infrastructure, it has shown how such a blending-in with the landscape can be implemented.
With the widening of the N279 between ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Veghel the roadway will be safer, the through-flow will improve and the rat-run traffic through adjacent villages will reduce. In addition, with a widening of the provincial road, the province is striving towards a sustainable solution within the landscape and a stronger perception of the Aa River running alongside it. The integrated approach will also include the redevelopment of the ‘Dynamic Hersend and Aaveld stream valley’. In this sub-project by the Aa and Maas Water Board, the Aa will be able to meander once again between Heeswijk and Berlicum. There will be pools, strolling pathways and bicycle paths, and the route and road signs from the adapted N279 towards Heeswijk castle will be improved.
Within the De Vaart combination project team MTD landschapsarchitecten is particularly responsible for the blending-in of the N279 into the landscape, the redevelopment of the stream valley, and the architectural styling of the engineering structures spanning across the roadway, and the South Willemsvaart and Aa waterways.
The large-scale renovation of the N279 north is expected to last until the end of 2017. As from April progress can also be monitored via the special website www.werkenaanN279noord.nl, Facebook werkenaanN279noord and Twitter @werkenaanN279.
Refurbishing Hoofdstraat in Schijndel
On Monday 23 February 2015 the go-ahead was given for the refurbishment of Hoofdstraat [the high street] in Schijndel. With the reconstruction of the high street, the Municipality of Schijndel is aspiring to further strengthen the spatial quality and future-proofing of both the city centre as well as the residential and shopping area. This is an extension to the redevelopment of the market and the realisation of the Glazen Boerderij [glass farmhouse] (MVRDV / Winy Maas) at Market square.
In 2007 MTD landschapsarchitecten was commissioned by the Municipality of Schijndel to draw up a redevelopment plan for the Market and surroundings of the Glazen Boerderij (MVRDV / Winy Maas). An important limiting condition in this brief was the municipality's choice for a more traffic-free city centre and an enhancement of the habitational quality of the public space.
For the redevelopment of the market and the Hoofdstraat, the approach is to strengthen Schijndel's identity as a village core with a relaxed countryside image, using the church and Glazen Boerderij as important orientation points and identity carriers.
References to the historical water pump will be realised at the corner of Hoofdstraat and Pompstraat. In the profile of Hoofdstraat the tram rails will be made visible in the natural stone paving, which refers to the steam tram which once drove here. Natural stone slabs engraved with historical images will lie between the rails, which will depict the history and make Schijndel's identity more perceivable.
The reconstruction of Hoofdstraat is expected to be completed by mid 2015. This will be followed by the planting of trees in the autumn.
New employees
Jop van Beek and Willem Jan van Ras join to strenghten the team of MTD
Respectively on the 1st of June and the 1st of August 2015 Jop van Beek and Willem Jan Ras join to strengthen the team of MTD landscape architects.
Jop van Beek studied at the academies Sint Lucas in Boxtel, St. Joost in Breda and the Academy for Architecture and Urbanism in Tilburg. After gaining experience at the offices of Puur Plus Ontwerpers in Amsterdam, Mecanoo in Delft and Claudio Silvestrin in London and Milan among others, Jop joins the team of MTD as an architectural designer as well as taking on various PR responsibilities.
Willem Jan van Ras studied at the Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein in Velp and at the Leeds Metropolitan University. Before MTD, Willem Jan worked at Bosch Slabbers Garden and Landscape Architects in The Hague and the Delta Vorm Groep in Utrecht. Jan Willem will take on the role of technical designer.