cepezed.nl

two cepezed nominations national steel prize 2010

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:25:10 +0200

Two buildings designed by cepezed are nominated for the Dutch National Steel Prize 2010: the Jinso pavilion in Amsterdam and the Audax Textile Museum in Tilburg. Thus, half of the nominations in the utility category come from cepezed. The stability structures of the buildings have been designed by respectively DHV and ABT, the steel work has been executed by respectively Meijers and Smulders, while BRS Building Systems executed the steelwork in the facades of both the buildings. Which project actually wins the prize will be announced during the National Steel Construction Day, which takes place in Gorinchem on the 14th of October.

world architecture review features cepezed

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:41:19 +0200

This year's complete third issue of the established bilingual and bimonthly Chinese architecture magazine World Architecture Review is dedicated to the work of cepezed. In some 100 pages, WAR 133 offers Chinese and other readers a thorough insight into cepezed's oeuvre, with photos, descriptions, drawings, sketches and so on. The World Architecture Review is published under supervision of the University of Shenzhen and has a worldwide circulation of over 30.000 copies per issue.

debate embassies in pulchri studio

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:53:19 +0200

Within the programming of Den Haag Design, cepezed's Ronald Schleurholts will participate in the debate entitled ‘A European embassy?', which will take place in Pulchri Studio at the Lange Voorhout 15 in The Hague on Thursday, June 10, 19.00 - 21.15. Preceding the actual debate, Schleurholts will also give a presentation on this subject.

Dutch embassies abroad are often designed by well known Dutch architects. Rem Koolhaas designed the embassy in Berlin, Bajrne Mastenbroek the embassy in Addis Abeba and cepezed a.o. those in Rome and Theran. Thus, embassies often function as a showpiece for the contemporary quality and progressiveness of Dutch design. With over a hundred embassies abroad, The Netherlands rank seventh on the world list, while The Hague itself counts a similar number of foreign embassies.

What would change if we would let go of the idea of one single embassy per country and think about a collective European embassy building for the purpose of economic and cultural collaboration? And what would such a building look like? Would such a collaboration also result in extra, or other, functions?

Architectural students of the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague will work on this project for a whole semester. Also, architects Rainer Bullhorst and Eric Vreedenburgh wrote an essay that will function as a starting point for this debate on the future of embassies in Europe.

cepezed designs public transportation hub tilburg

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:05:43 +0200

cepezed will design the reorganization of the train station area in Tilburg. The office won the limited competition for the project, in which it was asked to participate also because of the earlier successful revamp of the station area in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium.

The jury particularly favored cepezed's plans on the aspects of logistic functionality, architectonical and commercial quality and quality of the public space. Also, cepezed's vision on the design and construction process and the cooperation between all parties involved was highly valued. Amongst the contributing participants are the municipality of Tilburg, the Quality Team of the railway area, the office of the Government Railway Architect, Prorail and the NS national railways.

The existing train station area in Tilburg has a number of important, mutually interacting weaknesses. It has no distinct boundaries or limitations, one has a hard time orienting oneself and there is little space for pedestrians. Also, the spatial relation between city and station is troublesome, there's hardly any connection with the north side of the station, the plinth of the station is cluttered, and the parking functions and infrastructure are too dominant.

cepezed designed a plan that fits in well with the avenue concept the municipality desires. This drastically reorganizes the infrastructure for busses, cars, bicycles and pedestrians while new, coherent and lively street elevations encompass the avenue within the planning zone and thus create a comfortable inner city space. Cars and bicycles will be parked out of sight and substantial planting with green and trees importantly increases the sojourn quality of the area.

Of the original train station - dating from 1965 and designed by Koen van der Gaast (1923-1993) - the spectacular roof construction and the unique substructure will be completely preserved in cepezed's plans. The interventions schemed are minimal, connect well to the urban structure and reinstall the strengths and clarity of the original design. In the plans the passage to the platforms are moved to a central spot underneath the roof and continue all the way to the north side of the station, where the repair halls on the terrain of the Dutch Railways will be redeveloped in the near future. The position of the station hall will slightly shift. The hall will become a little bit larger and will be invested with a transparent, inviting and spatial disposition. The underground bicycle parking will be expanded.

In dialogue with all parties involved, cepezed will now further elaborate its vision and do feasibility studies.

cepezed's infrastructural projects are often primarily characterized by a clearly recognizable, radically organizing intervention that creates, in a single spatial gesture, an orderly main structure with many different points of attachment. As such, the basis of the area structure is so strong that the preconditions for a plethora of options have been created almost automatically: the clarity of the organization provides many possibilities for the fulfilment of diverse requirements and different or changing use.

cepezed designs multifunctional charity chair

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:16:58 +0200

cepezed has lent a remarkable extra function to Matthias Weber's ONO-chair. The office did this as a contribution to the Charity Chair project of German architecture magazine AIT and the Swiss furniture producer Dieteker, who asked over a hundred architects to give the ONO a new appearance. Eventually, the chairs will be auctioned for the benefit of the South African Township Langa in Cape Town, for which the coming of the Soccer World Cup this summer has far from only positive effects.

A Dietiker design chair and the Langa township in South Africa are entities that are both literally and metaphorically worlds apart. The people of Langa are cramped into small, low quality housing and most certainly do not sit on design chairs. On the other hand, it can safely be assumed that the plausible users of the ONO chair live under far better standards and most likely don't even know of Langa's existence. The retail price of one ONO-chair can probably support a Langa-based family for quite some time.

Participating in the Charity Chair project, cepezed has therefore intended to somehow connect design and the South African townships. Given that the chair had to remain a chair, cepezed has also sought not to change the design, which is perfectly alright in itself already, but rather to add something to it. Thus, the office reflected on the chair as an object with a certain model, shape and weight and was on the lookout for an extra use other than sitting. The result is a design that can be used for transport as well.

The cepezed-design has transformed Weber's ONO Chair into an object that can be used at home, during travel and in the market place. Aside from its regular domestic use, the chair can be flipped and geared as if were a back-pack, thus enabling the user to transport goods in the bag between the legs of the chair. In the market place, the user can sit on the chair again while selling his goods. This way a local Langa user could also profit from the economic incentives brought about by a large event such as the Word Football Championship, for instance by selling food and beverages from his Charity Chair. Hence, cepezed would like potential auction bidders to consider donating the chair itself to Langa as well.

The original chair has been left completely intact. Only some attachment points for the detachable straps and bag have been added. The straps are made of recycled safety belts, while the waterproof bag is put together from a used advertisement canvas of the Dutch international banking institution ING. The word ‘bank' on the side also means ‘couch' in Dutch, thus unwittingly constituting a little pun with its use on a chair. The bottom of the bag reads ‘grenzeloos', meaning ‘unlimited'. Using this Charity Chair will of course not render possibilities boundless, but its user can certainly start pushing back frontiers!

cepezed, fokkema and baljon redesign dsm sittard branch

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:06:32 +0200

cepezed, Fokkema & Partners Architects and Lodewijk Baljon Landschape Architects will jointly conceive the radical redesign of the DSM branch in Sittard. The design offices will modernize the 32.000 m2 complex dating from 1992 in many respects.

Together with the ICOP office for strategic housing, a group of young DSM-professionals thought up the principles for the DSM-office of the future. The trio cepezed-Fokkema-Baljon has won the subsequent design contest. By the name of DSM CiTY, the building will become more transparent, sustainable and flexible and will gain dramatically in appearance.

The interventions of the design team are aimed at the creation of an open, comfortable, dynamic and inviting working environment. They cover all levels, from the urban surroundings to the structure of the building, the interior and the furnishing and decoration. Two existing patios will be covered with with a roof that will transform them into transparent atria. Their use as interior plazas with a mixture of functions will generate inspiring dynamics here. The entrance will also find a new position in one of the atria, so that the complex will gain a stronger, more logical and more comfortable connection with the nearby railway station. A new entrance avenue will also add to this and will be part of a landscape design including an orchard and a large pond.

By means of voids, open connections and transparent partitioning, sightlines and the interaction between the different spaces and floors will be improved throughout the whole complex. The office floors - which are called the Business district in the CiTY-concept - will be provided with an arrangement for activity based working, so that staff can choose the work place fitting their current activities at any time.

The ground floor is called Downtown in the CiTY-concept. It will comprise a vivacious, inviting zone with e.g. meeting rooms, brainstorm sections, a coffee lounge, a bar, a restaurant, an auditorium and an office hotel. Downtown is the place for encounters and will also offer an exhibition by the name of DSM Experience, showing not only the achievements of DSM's innovative powers, but also inspiring the development of new concepts and products. The refurbishment of the Sittard branch will be brought about using DMS-fabricated materials as much as possible.

Royal DSM N.V. creates solutions that improve nutrition, protection and performances. End markets include health and nutrition products for man and animal, products for personal care, medicines, cars, coatings and paint, electronics, life protection and construction products. With all its activities, DSM focuses on the triple bottom line of economic prosperity, a sustainable environment and care for society. It strives for the equal and simultaneous realization of these elements. DSM has a net annual turnover of approximately eight billion Euros and employs over 22.700 worldwide. DSM's headquarter is located in Heerlen, The Netherlands, and the venture has branches on five continents. DSM is quoted on the Amsterdam Euronext stock exchange. The fully renewed Sittard branch will be occupied by mid 2012. As yet, cepezed, Fokkema and Baljon are entrusted with the preliminary design.

cepezed presents plans rotterdam centre for rheumatism and rehabilitation centre

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:22:44 +0100

In RTV Rotterdam’s show Regio Magazine, cepezed’s Jan Pesman has explained the new plans for expansion of the Rotterdam Centre for Rheumatism and Rehabilitation. The centre had already been working on its growth and modernization for almost ten years, but until now, it repeatedly encountered difficulties such as the entitlement to wind of a nearby seventeenth century windmill and the explosion risks related to an adjoining gas station. In a short period of time, cepezed has now come up with a plan that does incorporate all relevant factors, so that construction can most probably start even this year. To seen the item on RTV Rotterdam, click here (Regio Magazine January 15th 2010, 10.06-20.10 minutes)

cepezed designs new headquarters environment brussels

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:37:55 +0100

cepezed will design the new headquarters of the Environment Brussels, the former Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment. The building will be realized in one of the largest and most important urban renewal areas of the Belgian capital, the site Tour & Taxis of developer Project T&T at the Havenlaan. Also given the user, the project is subject to ambitious standards with respect to ecology and sustainability.

The construction is positioned facing the large-scale historic buildings of the Royal Depot and Shed-halls, which have recently been renovated and now accommodate a.o. offices, restaurants, design retail and cultural events.

The preliminary design is characterized by a compact volume beneath a curved and largely transparent roof. A central atrium has been designed as a continuation of the public domain, the first two floors are easily accessible for the general public and the building's east wing has been provided with receding patios with integrated trees and a generous view over the direct surroundings. Thus, the building emanates an inviting atmosphere and stimulates the interaction with the rest of the Tour & Taxis-site, on which a.o. housing and a completely new municipal park will also be realized in the future.

Aside from offices, the new Environment Brussels headquarters holds a visitor's centre on ecological subjects, an auditorium, a multimedia library, a meeting centre and a restaurant. The ground floor also houses a laboratory, of which the large transparent walls offer a good view on the tests and examinations the Environment Brussels executes. To underline the importance the user attaches to green mobility, the bicycle storage has explicitly been made visible through another glass wall. A prominently positioned, continuing cascade of stairs connecting open galleries encourages using the stairs instead of using the lift.

The offices are situated on the floors above the functions open to the public. An east and a west office wing are connected by a northern zone with lifts, facilities and the vertical transport of the installation techniques. A U-shaped plan thus embraces the southward directed atrium, on which all offices have a clear view. The atrium functions as a central meeting point for users and visitors and plays an important role in the climate concept of the building. Because of its largely glass roof, it also highly adds to the transparent quality of the building.

The building is being designed according to the criteria applying for passive constructions. Not only does the design provide in a compact construction so that the façades have a relatively low surface area, heat-resistant glass combined with awnings responding to the impact of the sun also guarantees a high reflectivity of the construction skin. The application of a threefold glazing in a façade system with thermal interruptions reduces the loss of warmth through the façades. Individual ventilation units in the facades prevent high temperatures during the summer. The drainage and supply of heat through activation of the concrete floors and a minimum of mechanical ventilation also contribute to meeting the norms for passive buildings. Additionally, the efficiency of the heat exchangers can be raised and the heat gathered in the atrium can be used and validated.

A passive construction design combined with a climate system using underground energy storage renders the new Environment Brussels headquarters as a front-rank Belgian and European reference project concerning sustainability.

For more information on Environment Brussels, click here.
For more information on the Tour & Tasix-site, click here.

cepezed designs new European headquarters ASICS

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:52:03 +0100

cepezed will design the new, some 5.000 m2 large European headquarters for ASICS, the Japanese manufacturer of sports shoes and sports clothing. The OVG-developed project will arise on the Taurusavenue in Hoofddorp, in the direct vicinity of the train station and arterial roads.

The new construction will expressly not become a flagship centre of the sports brand, but will be provided with a modest appearance. The accent is on efficiency, functionality and a pleasant experience by the users, consisting of staff and visitors mainly from retail enterprises. The headquarters will have an open atmosphere with modern, atelier-like work places and presentation rooms. Among other things through the application of natural materials in the interior, ASICS's Japanese identity can be discerned.

Another core is a healthy and sporty operating environment. For example, by means of a centrally situated atrium, the building will receive ample daylight, while using the lifts is discouraged by an inviting positioning of ongoing cascade stairs. Also, the building will be provided with fitness rooms equipped with showers while the catering will not serve any fried products, but only healthy food.

The office will be situated directly adjoining the sustainable TNT GREEN-Office also realized by OVG Projectontwikkeling, and, with attention for an own identity, the designers will be on the look-out for optimal synergy with this neighbor. The grounds around both offices, for example, will be part of an integrated landscape design. Also, both constructions will make use of a biomass total energy system, with which they will generate their own energy for heating and cooling.

The headquarters will be provided with a light-colored façade and underneath it a half-submerged parking garage with over a hundred places will be built. The offices have a wonderful view over the military engineered levee that is part of the historical Amsterdam Defense Line and placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage.

ronald schleurholts lectures during conference on evolutionary construction

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:20:37 +0100

cepezed's associated architect Ronald Schleurholts will lecture on Thursday, November 5th at 16.10 hours, during the conference on evolutionary construction in the Hilvaria Studio's in Hilvarenbeek. The conference is organized by Reed Business and points out that sustainable and climate-aware construction and development are also technically, financially and aesthetically lucrative now and in the future. During his talk, Schleurholts will discuss constructing with prefabricated materials, proceeding from an integral approach. By means of several national and international examples, he will show that well thought out, interdisciplinary design pays off in several ways. Other speakers during the conference include Michel Baars (director Search), Jeroen van Schooten (chairman Royal Institute of Dutch Architects, Meyer en Van Schooten architects) en Simon Roozendaal (science editor Elsevier). For more information and registration, klick here.