The design of the OZC by KAAN Architecten has a square shape and is relatively low, like several other buildings on the campus. This ensures a good fit within the surroundings and among the trees. Yet it also differs significantly from the square central university building, the Cobbenhagen, formerly the Catholic Economics College that became the first university building in the early 1960s. Designed by architect Jos Bedaux (1910-1989), this closed edifice pulls the outlying landscape into the interior through two patios. The building by KAAN Architecten however, is nestled in the landscape. Ample daylight and quite marked openness with radical views through the structure make the building merge with its environment. The study spaces are enclosed in a green setting, as an opening in the woods.

The OZC will support all faculties within the university and so will be continuously busy with up to 2500 students and educators all connected to each other thanks to the new building spaces. In order to safeguard its openness and avoid feeling crowded, the building has been given extra berth. All the spaces, including the corridors, are wide, light and tall – up to six meters high. The plans include a large number of study coves and group areas of different dimensions, as well as various lecture rooms that will be equipped with all the necessary IT and communication tools. The auditorium has been given a central and sunken position so that the building retains transparent passages from one end to another.

In collaboration with KAAN Architecten and VORM, the consortium that obtained the contract also includes Pieters Bouwtechniek, J. van Toorenburg BV, Bosch Slabbers, Buro Bouwfysica, OPPS, ABT, A.de Jong Installatietechniek, Steegman Electrotechniek, De Groot & Visser BV, Oranjedak, GWS dé schoonmaker and Caspar de Haan Groep.

Construction will commence in the end of 2016.

project name: OZC (Education and Self-Study Center)

location: campus Tilburg University (The Netherlands)

client: Tilburg University

programme: auditorium, lecture rooms, tutorial rooms, meeting rooms, restaurant, exam rooms, lounge area

architect: KAAN Architecten (Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen, Dikkie Scipio)

design team: Alejandro Gonzáles Pérez, Martina Margini, Kevin Park, Maria Stamati, Yiannis Tsoskounoglou, Noëmi Vos, Yang Zhang

design: 2016

start construction: end of 2016

delivery: December 2017

GFA: 11.000 sqm

main contractor: VORM

project management: VORM

advisor water installations: A de Jong Installatietechniek

advisor electrical installations: Steegman Installatietechniek

advisor construction: Pieters Bouwtechniek

advisor technical installations: J van Toorenburg Installatieadviseur

advisor fire and acoustics: Buro Bouwfysica

sustainability: ABT

quality management: OPPS

landscape: Bosch Slabbers

visualization: Beauty & The Bit

https://kaanarchitecten.com/kaan-architecten-designs-new-tilburg-university-building/

Museum Director Michel van Maarseveen about this choice:
‘As museum, we are very pleased that KAAN Architects presented a draft design that fully matches our wishes and ambitions and respects the historic palace complex. The underground extension has considerable allure and is both hospitable and functional.’

Architect Dikkie Scipio:
‘We explicitly sought for a form with which we, without competing with the monument, could highlight the grandeur of museum Paleis Het Loo in a surprising way and extend it further. I am delighted that the selection committee has acknowledged this fact.’

Museum Paleis Het Loo will be ‘open at revised times’ during the Renovation and Extension. The renovation covers the replacement of technical installations, climate-control installations and the removal of asbestos. While this major repair is taking place, an underground extension to Paleis Het Loo will be created. This extension will provide more space for temporary exhibitions and the large-scale collection will be presented better. The facilities for the public will also be improved.

photo © Rob Voss

https://kaanarchitecten.com/kaan-awarded-assignment-renovation-extension-museum-paleis-het-loo/

The building, which measures 18.000 m2 and houses a staff of 350, is located in the elegantly historic city center of The Hague. It is situated along the Korte Voorhout, a royal route connecting several institutional buildings to the Parliament building, and adjacent to Malieveld park; in this location the new design, with the measured vibrancy of its facades, interacts with the trees across the street announcing the city gateway.

The main entrance is flagged by six bronze statues of legal scholars seated on pedestals, with a single pane of glass subtly marking the transition from the street to the interior. The transparency of the building signifies both accessibility to the public as well as the soundness and clarity of judgment.

The entrance hall (where the courtrooms and the press room are located) forms the public area; it has double height ceilings that span the full length of the building. The floors and walls are of a light grey limestone that exudes a velvety texture. The large and small courtrooms, which hold 400 and 80 visitors respectively, are distinguished by brown-veined translucent alabaster walls. In the middle of the entrance hall, in between the two courtrooms, hangs the artwork “Hoge Raad” by Dutch painter Helen Verhoeven. It was commissioned specially for the Supreme Court.

The upper floors accommodate offices, a library with study places, a restaurant, and council and meeting chambers. Daylight permeates the building through several skylights, forming the core of the distinct domains of the Council (Raad) and Procurator General Office (Parket). The two departments are identified by the use of different materials: a vertically striped Marmara Equator marble in the Council, and an organic Skyline marble in the Procurator General Office area. At the circumference of the openings each floor has pantries with coffee machines, seating, and bookcases. The light, the sightlines throughout the space, and the open perspective inspire social interaction, encourage the exchange of ideas and opinions, and allows for informal gatherings.

Three sides of the building are exposed to sun over the course of a day. These facades are climate controlled through the use of a spacious cavity in the glass casings: glass boxes that not only keep out the heat and cold, but also the sound of traffic outside. Nonetheless, the windows can be opened if desired, while the sun blinds and light filters can also be individually regulated. This controlled double protection produces a layered facade, flat and yet canted, a subtle nuance that adds even more elegance to the whole.

On Saturday April 23rd – 2016, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands will welcome visitors on the occasion of its first open day.

Location: Korte Voorhout 8, The Hague (The Netherlands)

Client: Rijksvastgoedbedrijf

Architect: KAAN Architecten (Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen, Dikkie Scipio)

Design team: Allard Assies, Luca Baialardo, Christophe Banderier, Bas Barendse, Dennis Bruijn, Timo Cardol, Sebastian van Damme, Marten Dashorst, Luuk Dietz, Willemijn van Donselaar, Paolo Faleschini, Raluca Firicel, Michael Geensen, Cristina Gonzalo Cuairán, Joost Harteveld, Walter Hoogerwerf, Michiel van der Horst, Marlon Jonkers, Jan Teunis ten Kate, Marco Lanna, Giuseppe Mazzaglia, Ana Rivero Esteban, Joeri Spijkers, Koen van Tienen, Noëmi Vos

Design phase: December 2012 – January 2014

Construction phase: September 2013 – January 2016

Contractor: Consortium Poort van Den Haag: BAM PPP B.V., PGGM, BAM Bouw en Techniek B.V., ISS Nederland B.V. and KAAN Architecten

Structural engineering: Arup Nederland

Electrical engineering: BAM Bouw en Techniek

Mechanical engineering: Arup Nederland

Site supervision: KAAN Architecten, BAM Bouw en Techniek

Constructor mechanical + electrical installations: BAM Bouw en Techniek

Fire, comfort, acoustics, security: DGMR

Spatial acoustics: Level Acoustics

Building control: CBB

Parking advisor: Wim van Vlierden

Site area: 2.500 m2

Total floor area: 18.000 m2 (including underground parking)

Cost: 59.000.000 € (realisation)

Artwork: “Hoge Raad” (oil on canvas, 400 x 647 cm, 2015) by Helen Verhoeven

https://kaanarchitecten.com/kaan-architecten-signs-supreme-court-netherlands/

Underneath the museum site, archeologists found the Fernando bastion, one of the five ones belonging to the old citadel, and the flank of the main wall made of bricks and stone is now lying bare. Archeological finds include the bastion’s gun emplacement, a discovery that enrich the understanding of Antwerp’s military past.

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts will open its doors in 2019.

photo © Karin Borghouts

https://kaanarchitecten.com/archeological-findings-garden-royal-museum-fine-arts/