| Client | DC Vastgoed |
| Location | Zwolle |
| Square | 33.000 |
| Timeline | November 2019 - July 2024 |
Part of the Spoorzone area development
Increased programming and density are key to the Spoorzone area development. Within this area, currently housing 325,000 square meters of real estate, there will soon be space for over 650,000 square meters, with many existing buildings being retained. The focus will shift to the live-work combination, providing space for innovation, connectivity, technology, startups, and scale-ups. Our project site next to the station includes a low-rise building of 14,600 m² and a high-rise building of 7,400 m². The low-rise has recently been put into use, while the high-rise is still under development.
History and original design of Zwolle's station post building
The ‘Stationspostgebouw Zwolle’ was designed by architects J.B. Koning and J.C. Rentjes from Hengelo. Constructed from 1971, the post building gained its own platform after 1984. The low-rise building served as the sorting facility with three double-height stacked floors. The high-rise housed office functions, with counters on the ground floor. The canteen was located on the floor above the counters, adjacent to the roof terrace.
Transformation of the former sorting building
The prefab concrete structure of the former sorting building is its most striking architectural element. It features a grid dimension of 7.20 m, with double I-beams spanning 18 m on fork-like column heads. Between these, a system of concrete crossbeams and floor slabs is laid. By retaining and exposing the structure, open floor fields are created, making the prefab concrete an aesthetic element.
Transparent and inviting design
The building appears inviting due to the replacement of the original concrete facade with a new, transparent one. On the lower four floors, this consists of a clear anodized curtain wall system with 300 mm deep fins that increase in number per floor cluster. Above this rests a slightly recessed roof structure with a fully glazed facade and flat detailing.
Several spatial interventions have been made inside the building. By removing floors and construction elements, light wells have been created to bring as much daylight as possible into the nearly 40-meter-deep building. Elevator cores have been relocated from the facade to the center of the building, optimizing light entry and creating a natural layout. New floor fields have been laid between the existing ones, significantly increasing usable space.
The concrete structure remains visible in the interior as a reminder of the building's history. Full-height glass facades with slender frames and glass balustrades keep the structure free and provide transparency to the atria. Sightlines from offices to atria connect the spaces. The building features an extremely large entrance hall with a glass roof, four floors high, located in the heart of the building. Surrounding this hall are the work floors. The hall offers space for meeting areas and lunch and coffee spots accessible to all users, creating a connecting space that brings everyone together. The circulation spaces also offer a sense of connection to tenants and visitors, with seating areas and shared meeting facilities that encourage interaction and collaboration.
Transformation of the high-rise
The facade design of the high-rise retains the original layout, with horizontal lines emphasized by white natural stone bands and frameless glass strips. The use of high-quality materials, such as natural stone instead of gravel concrete, and the more abstract detailing give the facade a much higher-quality appearance. Inside, there is a triple-height entrance hall with shared reception facilities and meeting areas. On the office floors, the existing prefab concrete structure remains visible, just as in the low-rise building.
This is what success looks like
The beauty of imperfection
The multi-tenant office offers an inspiring business environment for ambitious users who feel at home in a building with character. The passage of time is embraced as beauty, supported by a contrasting color scheme. The spatial layout and materialization of the interior confirm the robust industrial character and bring refinement, matching the desired high-quality appearance.
Inspired by the beauty of imperfection, the scars in the original concrete structure have not been camouflaged but highlighted by adding high-quality materials. For example, the original installation openings in the concrete beams have been accented with brass inserts. In other places, these openings have been left open, with horizontal lighting lines running through them that visually connect the atria.
The scale of the building requires a few large elements. Therefore, lighting fixtures have been designed for the atria. In addition to being real eye-catchers that draw visitors' attention upwards, they also create intimate places to stay.
Projectpartners
DC Vastgoed, De Architekten Cie, Copijn Landschapsarchitecten, Bramer Bouw & Vastgoed B.V., Technoplanning, Intermontage, PD Lighting, Peutz, Ingenieursbureau Linssen
Photography: Bram Vreugdenhil en Sebastian van Damme
