Business parks have a similar potential to the Dutch canal houses; that is the hypotheses behind the circular rehousing of the energy grid company Liander. In the sixties no one wanted to live in the narrow and crooked canal houses in the inner city of Amsterdam; to demolish them was a realistic option. Meanwhile, the quality and flexibility of the renovated warehouses is widely recognised and appreciated.
The transformation of the business park of Alliander in Duiven provides a new strategy to revive seemingly outdated real estate: To umbrella several existing buildings with a roof and a transparent façade, creating both extra indoor space, as well as a “greenhouse”, which is the basis for the office to obtain a positive energy balance. The buildings are then interconnected by walkways - apart from the new roof and facade the only addition to the complex, which is realized for 80 percent with ‘second life’ materials.
Outfitting the walkways with features like a coffee bar, lounges and (flex) workstations has made the publicly accessible atrium the ultimate place for connection and the beating heart of the building. Laboratories, workshops, technical training centres and offices have found their place within the various buildings - each accessed from the atrium and each visible for all user groups to encourage interaction. Together they form a logical spatial whole, while both white- and blue collar feel at home.
The office floors are not designed for specific departments, but arranged according to a type of activity - the workshop for collaboration, the library for concentrated working and the 'classic' office space. One of the advantages is that the interior can be adapted in the future with limited interventions to changing needs.
Fokkema & Partners was responsible for the design of the circular interior in the consortium VolkerWessels Vastgoed with Rau Architects, Boele&vanEesteren, Innax, Kuiper Compagnons, van Rossum Raadgevende Ingenieurs and Turntoo.
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