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Hof van Coevorden
Hof van Coevorden
Coevorden, Netherlands
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Hof van Coevorden
Coevorden, Netherlands
YEAR
2011
SIZE
500,000 sqft - 1,000,000 sqft
The Hof van Coevorden is part of an urban plan involving the renewal of the old, star-shaped defensive canal and the motte, or mound, on which the castle stands. In addition to accommodating the town hall, the Hof van Coevorden is home to a dance hall, two pop venues using a ‘two-boxes-in-one-box system’, a bank and the arts centre. Thanks to a sliding seating system, it is also possible to use the council chamber as a 180-seat theatre or cinema. The buildings complies with the requirements of the ITS (international accessibility symbol) certification mark – it has full wheelchair access throughout.The centre of Coevorden is currently being redeveloped BDP.Khandekar, in accordance with an urban renewal plan, a principle feature of which is to reveal once again the old star-shaped ramparts and the motte on which the castle stands. The Hof van Coevorden is situated at right angles across one of the radials of the former fortress. The erstwhile rampart ‘cuts’ into the building, as it were, which is why it is exposed in the design.In other respects, too, the building fits in neatly with its surroundings and the historical fabric of the town. Two existing walls have been integrated into the building on its southern side, where the scale of the design is smaller to be more in keeping with the other buildings on the street. To prevent too much heat from the sun penetrating the building, there are hardly any openings on the walls on the southern side.The large exterior glass walls on the northern side, on the other hand, open out towards the Weeshuisweide park. These walls let in a great deal of indirect daylight and afford employees and visitors panoramic views across the park. This not only creates a pleasant working environment for the local authority employees, but is also a symbol of openness and transparency for the town’s citizens. The entire wall on this side has been fitted with wooden slats, to provide shade and to prevent overheating.A study involving the use of a 3D computer model of the sun and shade enabled designers to take maximum account of local conditions in relation to the sun. The result is not only a more energy-efficient construction; it also means that the effects of the building’s shadow on surrounding buildings have been kept to a minimum.The Hof van Coevorden scores high in terms of energy, use of materials, indoor climate and health. In order to achieve synergy, the various sustainability measures all form part of an integrated sustainability concept.A large rammed earth wall in the main entrance hall (dimensions 18×8 m) ensures a healthy and asthma-friendly indoor climate on account of its ability to regulate humidity. Rammed earth is a natural, local and non-toxic material that is fully bio-degradable, and therefore can be returned to the biological cycle. The same is true of the slats made of home-grown softwood: they can be used thanks to an environmentally-friendly refining process that does not involve treatment with chemicals such as lacquer.Large areas of the exterior walls have been constructed using ClickBrick. In line with the Cradle to Cradle principle, this type of brick can be reused at the end of a building’s life, without the need to make any modifications or without any loss of quality. ClickBricks are used in a dry-stacking system without toxic adhesive, and because no mortar is used the walls are not affected by salt efflorescence. Even years from now, the walls will be free of the white salt deposits that are otherwise such a common feature of brick walls.The moss sedum roof functions as a thermal buffer against the heat and the cold, protects the roof from hail and heavy rain, encourages biodiversity in the area and helps improve the local micro-climate.A combination of concrete core activation with a geothermal heat pump makes the Hof van Coevorden a highly energy-efficient building. The use of concrete core activation means that no air-conditioning and or radiators are required: many people find the indoor climate of buildings without these features more agreeable than that in traditional buildings.The ventilation in the building is controlled in each room separately by CO2 sensors and the lighting is linked to motion detectors, which saves energy. In the event of rising energy prices in the future, the town council and the other users will be assured of low running costs, thanks to the low level of energy consumption by the building. In addition, it will require less maintenance as a result of the use of natural and untreated materials – this too will keep down the costs of running the building throughout its lifetime.
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