Dutch architecture firm Studionedots has transformed a former railway warehouse in Utrecht into a cluster of co-working and public spaces called Bovenbouwwerkplaats.
To celebrate the “roughness and elegance” of the early 20th-century building, Studioinedots restored its abandoned brick and steel structure, but left the original details and materials exposed.
In the heart of Visselspor is Bovenbouwwerkplaats, a new development by Studionedots featuring an eclectic collection of townhouses and apartment buildings from Space Encounters, Mees Visser and Zecc Architecten.
Local services, community groups and local businesses will be invited to the building, creating a new central hub in the area.
“By bringing together in Bovenbouwwerkplaats different ambitions and functions that are usually distributed in one area, a small urban core is formed, where anything can happen,” the studio explained.
“Under the existing roof, we have created an open space that will be a new community facility and home for creative entrepreneurs,” he continued. “Space stimulates the senses, but also offers its own interpretation of its use.”
At the heart of the warehouse is a “mobile hub” for 175 shared cars and bicycles, wrapped in a perforated metal “curtain” that protrudes from the roof of the original building.
This central form is surrounded by a series of flexible public spaces set against an industrial backdrop with large windows overlooking the landscaped gardens.
Large skylights in the sawtooth roof, supported by exposed steel trusses, flood the interior with natural light.
“Our refurbishment has restored all the industrial qualities of the old warehouse – its frame, roof, façade and details,” said Studioninedots.
According to the studio, the prominent metal elements are designed to change their appearance in different light conditions throughout the day, helping to create the building’s unique identity.
“Curtains continually update the look of the building throughout the day and season,” the studio said. “The Bouvenbouwwerkplaats are conceived as a new landmark in Wesselspool in terms of its vast surroundings.”
Studioninedots was founded in Amsterdam in 2011 by Albert Herder, Vincent van der Kley, Arie van der Noyt and Metin van Zyl.
Other recent studio projects include a stepped social housing complex on the Amsterdam waterfront and the renovation of a 1970s office building in the Dutch city of Hilversum.
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