The Wega.punt parking garage at the Binckhorst in The Hague has recently opened for use. Cars are parked on the floors of a former office building. The perforated new façade and ramp system may seem obvious, yet reuse was by no means an obvious starting point for the project - cepezed took the initiative in steering the project in a sustainable direction. CO₂ emissions have been kept to a minimum and all interventions are reversible. If needed, the building can be transformed back into office space in the future.
reversible
The design of Wega.punt brings together cepezed’s expertise and ideals. Rather than demolishing the former office building, the existing structural frame was retained. All new additions are reversible, should the function change again. Ramps have been installed in the existing courtyard, and two additional corner volumes allow cars to circulate across the floors. This also increases parking capacity - and creates more space for a future transformation. The perforated new ‘skin’ around the parking decks eliminates the need for mechanical ventilation while allowing daylight to penetrate.
ingenious
The garage provides approximately 400 parking spaces, intended for staff of the Police’s Eenheidsbureau located nearby (also designed by cepezed). Functions have been ingeniously aligned with the existing floor plan, basement structure and foundations. The ramp circuit in the former courtyard is a suspended structure, supported by eight new columns. These columns pass through the substructure to avoid loading the existing foundations - a refined piece of engineering developed in collaboration with IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs.
play of lines
The façade’s play of lines stands out in the in at street level. On the ground floor, black aluminium panels with horizontal ribbing are placed above impact-resistant, similarly ribbed fibre-reinforced concrete. The upper levels are defined by a light-coloured façade with broad vertical bands of alternating perforated and solid aluminium standing seam panels. As the lines continue across side walls and ceilings, the ground floor and parking decks are visually perceived as two distinct volumes.
generous height
By making use of the existing office structure, the parking levels benefit from generous floor-to-ceiling heights. Should the Police require additional office space in the future, the added elements can easily be removed: everything is assembled using nuts and bolts. Without the ramps, sufficient daylight enters the courtyard to support residential or office use. Wega.punt is already a sustainable building due to the avoidance of new construction, but its value is further enhanced by its exceptional future-proof reversibility.
neighbourhood functions
Wega.punt was designed for the Police, in close collaboration with IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs (structural engineering), Nelissen Ingenieursbureau (building services, building physics and fire safety) and Ingenieursbureau Multical (cost consultancy). During the tender phase, DNKSTF contributed ideas for additional uses beyond parking: the ground floor accommodates commercial spaces for neighbourhood functions. Wega.punt was constructed by De Vries en Verburg.
read more on wega.punt on the projectpage
