1_DiscoverBenelux_Issue19_July_2015_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 26/06/2015 20:47 Page 31
Discover Benelux & France | Cityscaping | Benthem Crouwel Architects
Partners: From top left to bottom right: Marcel Blom, Marten Wassmann, Markus Sporer, Joost Vos, Mels Crouwel and Jan Benthem.TOP LEFT: The Stedelijk Museum. LEFT MIDDLE: The Atrium. BOTTOM LEFT: Paleisbrug.
bridge); an elevated park, bicycle- and pedestrian bridge in one. When a new district Paleiskwartier (Palace District) arose behind the train station and outside of the city walls of the city of 's-Hertogenbosch, Benthem Crouwel created the Paleisbrug. It is designed to connect the old with the new, and at the same time create unity with the surrounding historic landscape. The 250-metre long Paleisbrug has plants, trees, benches and lighting, all integrated in folded weathering steel. The plants are illuminated, as well as the benches and paths, allowing the Paleisbrug to be a pleasant place to walk and sit down at night. Floor heating is installed to prevent the bridge from freezing in the winter as spreading salt would affect the steel and the plants. The bridge is also used as a massive solar collector during summer, since the floor heating is connected to an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) that provides the stored heat during winter.
With the design of the Amtrium, a new building at Scheldeplein (Schelde Square) Benthem Crouwel Architects created a multifunctional and remarkably sustainable office and a conference centre along with a restaurant. With its transparent lower faรงade, the Amtrium creates new interaction between the RAI and the residential area that adjoins the complex. The addition of a high quality public restaurant also contributes to the culinary and entertainment value of the neighbourhood. The south wall of the building is a climate zone with plants; a greenhouse which also provides food for the restaurant. This greenhouse wall combined with other innovative sustainable technologies, made the RAI the first conference centre in the Netherlands to achieve the BREEAM-NL Excellent level, a hallmark for sustainability that is managed by the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC).
their vision actually works. And in retrospect, it does. The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam shows that the vision Benthem Crouwel had works quite splendidly. The city museum needed a new entrance to improve the logistics. Benthem Crouwel created a whole new entrance at the other side of the building. By doing so, the museum became connected to the famous Amsterdam Museum Square and thus the other museums like the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. They added underground space to keep the square as open as it was, and also created a forecourt; a subsquare at the Museum Square, to make the transition from square to museum flawless. The shift has been so successful that the cooperation between all adjacent museums has improved immensely.
Multifunctional and sustainable
From vision to reality
With all assignments Benthem Crouwel Architects look beyond that what is required. A design should not be just optimal for the client or the public, but also contribute to the surrounding area.
The Amsterdam RAI is an internationally leading exhibition and conference centre.
As Benthem Crouwel always keep the future in mind, it is important to verify that
www.benthemcrouwel.com
Issue 19 | July 2015 | 31