Inside the October/November 2013 issue a full review of the renovation project.
Journalist Eva Vroom defines itsthe study square: “A generous and light space able to connect the various programme’s spaces in an elegant manner.”
Three projects by KAAN Architecten are currently under construction in France. Due to great progress over the past year, all the buildings will be finished in the coming months. These new projects add to the existing French opus of KAAN Architecten, highlighted by last year’s Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay.
The monolithic Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat in Lille is a multi-use building featuring a different programme on each floor: public space on the ground floor, education and offices on the first and second floor respectively, while the auditorium is placed at the core of the building. The project was done in collaboration with local architects Pranlas-Descours architect & associates.
Additionally in Lille, a mixed use complex Ilot 13 is in its final stages. Located right along the canal of the Deûle river, the set of buildings will encompass residential units, offices and a group of commercial spaces located on the lower levels.
Meanwhile in Nantes, Bottière-Chênaie project is set to revitalize a high-traffic area in the north-eastern part of the city, and bring residential, commercial and office buildings together into a comfortable whole.
Photographs by: Sebastian van Damme (Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat, Ilot 13) and Dimitri Lamour (Bottière-Chênaie).
Based on 165 applications from 36 countries, KAAN Architecten is among 10 leading international architecture firms selected to participate in the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Centre competition in Kiev, Ukraine. Other participants moving further into the Stage 1 of the competition include Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Eisenman Architects, and Dorte Mandrup A/S.
The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Centre will be located in Kiev, near the site of the historical events in the Babyn Yar ravine. The new center aims to commemorate and reflect on the mass shootings that occurred in 1941, in addition to being a platform for research and public discourse. The project will include exhibition and public event spaces, centers for research and education as well as a memorial park.
Following the preselection and Stage 1 results due in spring, only four to six participants will go on to Stage 2 with the final winner being announced at the end of July. For more information on the competition and the memorial visit the BYHMC website.
Photographs courtesy of [phase eins]
In a recent announcement by the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, Stationspostgebouw in Rotterdam – now commonly known as Central Post, has been categorized as a national monument. This title comes just in time to mark the tenth year since the building was transformed by KAAN Architecten into a contemporary and multifunctional office building.
Built in the late fifties, Central Post stood 15 stories tall, making it one of the highest buildings in Rotterdam which was undergoing extensive reconstruction at the time. The building featured an extensive art collection as well as an original Louis van Roode art piece covering the entire height of the building.
Decades later due to the modernization of the postal process, the building fell into disuse. KAAN Architecten was commissioned for exterior restoration work and transformation of the interior which included insertion of hanging floors replacing the mail sorting machine. The result was a 90% increase in floor area and a listed building that achieved a Class A Energy Label. It is currently one of the five most sustainable buildings in the Netherlands.
The existing cores on both sides of the building were updated. The long office floors were divided by a wall to reduce the size of rentable units and to create fire proofing compartments. A corporate penthouse is housed on the top floor, with a terrace overlooking the city, while the ground-floor uses and tenants add vibrancy to a completely new and contemporary Delftseplein. Meanwhile, the numerous integrated art pieces were kept in their original place, restored, or if possible returned.
Explore the full project here.
Photographs courtesy of Luuk Kramer (featured image) and Christian Richters.
After a winning proposal for renovation and reconstruction of Paleis Het Loo, this January marks the anniversary of starting the construction of the project. Within the year, the groundwork began to make room for the new underground entrance of the museum.
To enable the underground connection to the former palace, the side wings of the building had to be supported by a temporary foundation of steel beams, which made them seemingly floating above ground. Simultaneously, the square in front of the palace is being excavated, to make room for the new entrance facilities and exhibition spaces.
On the inside, operations for removing asbestos are well under way. The interior is being carefully dismantled in order to preserve the original elements from the 1600s but remove the dangerous substance that was placed in the museum during the 1970s. Once the renovation and removal of asbestos are finished, all the pieces will be put back in place.
The completion of the project is set for 2021. Meanwhile, explore the design or watch the year recap video.
Photographs courtesy of Paleis Het Loo.
In order to present the exciting new currents of Dutch architecture, Chinese magazine World Architecture (WA) has invited Kees Kaan to curate the issue aptly titled ‘Non-Super Dutch’.
In his opening statement, Kees Kaan elaborates on the contemporary developments in Dutch building culture: “The Netherlands has an ideal culture for conventional architecture. The cultural consensus here leaves no room for the unbridled creativity of a genius. Property development has been regulated in such a way that all parties involved or tangential to the process have a right to voice their interests or concerns.” By default, this has influenced the role of the architect within that process, making it a role of inspiration, storytelling, conception and management. “Architects have relinquished control as master builders and are not the sole authority on how to build, but are now professional advisors in teams of interested parties,” says Kaan.
Along with Kaan, a group of independent writers – such as Ruud Brouwers, Kirsten Hannema and Yang Zhang, have contributed to revising the iconic, yet outdated notion of ‘Super Dutch’. Moreover, the issue includes a project selection which is completely arbitrary, in order to showcase a diverse range programs and typologies in recent architectural production.
Read the full opening statement here.
‘Young people with fresh new ideas are the lifeblood of our office’ claims KAAN Architecten founding partner Dikkie Scipio in her latest interview for the Fleur Groenendijk Foundation where she serves as a board member. Right at the heels of announcing the new De Meester winner for 2018, this rings true more than ever.
Graduating with top marks aside, the success of every young architect relies heavily on being recognized and embraced by potential customers or employers, explains Scipio. This is why De Meester award was created – to give young graduates a platform to present themselves to larger audiences and make a debut within the professional sphere. Along with a jury of industry professionals, she seeks to highlight the work of recent graduates that shows social and contextual relevance, craftsmanship, and a clear vision.
Same rules apply within the office, where combination of experienced and young architects meet in a dialogue that is essential for the design process. In her own words: ‘This is the start of the dialogue that you hope will lead to something better, something that you could not have thought of beforehand.’
Read the full interview here. (Dutch only)
Photographer Dominique Panhuysen continues her photographic expeditions to the New Amsterdam Courthouse construction site, showcasing the progress made during past six months in the latest photo report issue.
After the completion groundwork and construction of the two basement levels, as showcased in the previous issue, the building started to rise above ground with first facade columns being put in place. KAAN Architecten is undertaking works for the New Amsterdam Courthouse as part of a consortium which includes Macquarie Capital, ABT, DVP, construction companies Heijmans and M.J. de Nijs & Zonen, and Facilicom. Completion of the project is expected in September 2020.
Explore the full publication or find out more about the project here.
On a recent visit to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, photographer Sebastian van Damme recorded instances from the ongoing renovation. Explore the full photo report below!
The complete overhaul of Antwerp’s prestigious institution aims to restore the original routing and decorations dignifying the intrinsic qualities of the space, while the new extension enriches the museum experience through contemporary practices. End of construction is expected in 2021, while the museum will open its doors to visitors in early 2022.
Photography by Sebastian van Damme.
Construction of KAAN Architecten’s mixed use complex in Lille, France is in its final stages. Located right along the canal of the Deûle river, the set of buildings will encompass residential units, offices and a group of commercial spaces located on the lower levels.
End of construction is expected in 2019. Once completed, Ilot 13 will be the fourth project by KAAN Architecten built in France including recently inaugurated Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay. In addition, the monolithic Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat in Lille will open its doors to the public at the beginning of 2019.
Photographs by Sebastian van Damme.
This Thursday, 13 December, Kees Kaan will participate in the lecture series ‘Making Architecture’ at TU Eindhoven together with Jeroen van Schooten (Team V Architectuur). In a double lecture format, the speakers will elaborate on a number of projects that show how the process of making – from concept to building, unfolds within their offices.
The event will take place in the Filmzaal of the Zwarte Doos at the TU Eindhoven at 19.30. The lecture series is organized by AnArchi, Study Association for Architecture, and Juliette Bekkering of The Chair of Architectural Design and Engineering (ADE) at the TU Eindhoven. Find out more here.
