The former university building at the Stationsweg, has been renovated and expanded into a 118-room economy hotel. It is the first franchise hotel of all 870 Ibis hotels in the world and the first Ibis hotel according to the new Ibis generation formula. The new hotel is located opposite Leiden station and is clearly visible from the railway and station.
The 60s building has a completely new facade. The horizontality of the original facade has been enhanced even more in the new facade by providing the parapets of all floors with relatively narrow bands of ceramic elements, placed in varying colors. The black frames and cladding are fitted with a deep gap in relation to the ceramic elements. This makes the colorful horizontal ceramic elements iconic. The facade is continued above the roof. The high, slightly recessed eaves provides a clear termination and also shields the installations on the roof. The plinth of the building is made of a robust stone and a lot of glass. Together with the long white stately canopy of light concrete, they form the basis for the horizontally articulated facade on the one hand and an inviting entrance to the hotel on the other. The high ground floor has been made suitable for public functions such as reception, bar, lounge and dining room, also designed by VVKH. In addition to the "Ibis identifiers", the program of requirements and the wishes of the owner, the zoning, materialization, the existing height and the characteristic concrete construction were also the starting point for the interior design.
photography: Roos Aldershoff ©
| Architects | Ronald Knappers |
| Employees | Wouter Fokkinga |
| Client(s) | Ibis Leiden Beheer |
Next to the highway A2 near the centre of Utrecht a spectacular large scale shopping and leisure centre has been realised. The 800 meter long “Ferrari red” complex acts as a noise barrier to the new residential area of Leidsche Rijn. The fluent design of slowly undulating lines is inspired by the perspective of the driver passing the complex in 32 seconds, driving at a speed of 100 km/hour. The fluent lines create an illusion of movement. This building, having a surface area of approx. 65,000m2, houses many retail businesses, a high-quality DIY store, a catering business (fast-food restaurant) and leisure facilities (discotheque, sports or multi-purpose hall). On the roof is a 1400 spaces large car park. The building together with the ‘Cockpitgebouw’ at the Wetering Noord area, designed by the architect Kas Oosterhuis, are the showpiece of the city of Utrecht.
For the large-scale shopping and business center De Herven, dating from 1979, there was a threat of emptying out and impoverishment, including through screaming facade advertising. A redevelopment plan was implemented in 2003 to reverse this negative spiral. With important but relatively simple interventions, such as a uniform facade layout and advertising to be conducted according to fixed rules, as well as a generous continuous and cantilevered awning of 13 meters, a high-quality and pleasant residential area has again been created. The immediate surroundings, the walking area and the parking lot, have also been redesigned and constructed.
This colourfull, functional and energysaving design fully provides in the requirements and ambitions of the Leiderdorp municipality. In 2008 the municipality decided to build a new town hall and was tendered as a design & build contract. Together wit Dura Vermeer Vastgoed, VVKH won the competition. They chose a two-storey building with an atrium and parking on the roof. The atrium forms a vivid space for employees and visitors. This is also where the public counters are situated.
The new town hall is a very sustainable building. In the design we took the whole lifecycle in analyses. The result is very comfortable spaces, environment friendly materials and extremely low energy use. Using renewable energy, this building is CO2 neutral.
This new building had become a recognisable beacon on the edge of the city of Assen. The building accommodates several emergency services such as a firestation, the Area Health Authority and the Safety Region Drenthe. Together with the Koopmans Bouwgroep, VVKH won the design & build competition. The new building is compact, sturdy looking and radiates preparedness for an emergency. All functions have been placed under a single roof, organised around a central atrium. From the atrium there’s a view on the court yard where fireman are practicing. The firetrucks are stationed around the court yard, ready to tear out. Offices are concentrated on the higher floors overlooking the highway A28. The building has a very high sustainability-rating (Dutch GPR-score 8,0).
