Overstad, Alkmaar

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

Originally Posted by Piet Meijs

Rietveld Architects is looking into the possibility of integrating this "old" facade into the new design.

Initial reports show that the factory facade is non-salvageable, but it would be nice to keep some of the history of the Ringers Chocolate Factory.

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

Here are some sketches of how we are trying to develop the structure.

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

One of the design goals is to avoid corridors. We are trying to create "exploded cores" where the individual core elements are decentralized and transparent. For comparison we also sketched a traditional core.

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

To build a whole building on top of a shopping center is complicated, because you cannot "disturb" the large open floor area of the commercial space with escape stairs, elevators, shafts and other stuff that normally comes down.

The escape to outside somehow needs to happen in the second floor, but that is not so easy without compromising the open character of the common floor. The three building units can each become a single fire compartment (Maximum 5000m2/ 54,000SF) with the addition of a sprinkler system. All floors can than be vertically connected through voids and open stairs.

[Piet Meijs]

These are pictures of last months print model.

As you can see, we included the "exploded core" principle.

[Floor van Langen]

Some 3d views of the construction and the "exploded cores"

[Floor van Langen]

Some 3d elevations and sections

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

The urban plan is still very much in flux. The size of the shopping center conflicts with heavily the original urban scheme of West 8 . After several meetings Martin Biewenga (www.west8.nl) came up with a new scheme that balances the interest of the public (a good flow of public spaces) and the pricate (commercial interest dictating shopping center layout).

As a side effect, our original concept has become impossible and we are working right now to several alternate schemes.

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

It looks like we can integrate some of the old Ringers Chocolate Factory after all. We had that in our early designs, but the urban plan changed so much that it became useless. Now we are back with the old facade in it's original location.

I understand that the current condition of the facade is very dilapidated below the current ugly plastic facade. More research needs to be done.

[Margaret and Rijk Rietveld]

It looks like the urban flux has come to rest last week. This week we are filling in the specifics. Wen that is done we can post what has been cooking for the last few months.