Dismantling a building and rebuilding it elsewhere? Yes, it can be done!

The fully demountable building we designed for the temporary Amsterdam Courthouse is now enjoying a second life as a ‘tech bank’ at Kennispark Twente – from courthouse to tech bank.

In 2016, cepezedprojects and du Prie bouw & ontwikkeling b.v. delivered the temporary courthouse with a clear ambition: to produce as little waste as possible. This required not only technical innovations in design, dismantling and reassembly, but also a fresh financial approach. The project’s value lay not in the land, but in its individual, reusable building components.

a second life
With its transparent glass façades and white-coated steel frame, the building had a representative and contemporary appearance, while the bolted joints of its modular structure remained visible. In 2022, the four-storey building was carefully dismantled according to plan. After a period in storage, it was re-erected at Kennispark Twente.

New function, new requirements
Lagemaat B.V. and Groothuis Bouwgroep reconstructed the building as an office and knowledge lab. The layout of the floors was adapted to suit its new purpose. And because its orientation to the sun in Enschede differs from Amsterdam, the solar-control glazing was installed on another façade – proving once again that this approach is entirely feasible.

95 per cent reused
An impressive 95 per cent of the original materials were reused (the remaining 5 per cent consisted of the detention cells and the connecting bridge). The demountable hollow-core slabs, specially developed for the temporary courthouse, performed excellently during reassembly in Enschede. Compared with new construction, the CO₂ emissions were minimal.

feasible and attractive
The knowledge gained from the temporary courthouse is now being applied to the design of a temporary wing for the Sophia Children’s Hospital, largely with the same partners. The courthouse project could never have succeeded without the ambition and close collaboration of the entire chain of partners. Its transformation from courthouse to tech bank demonstrates that circular building is not only feasible, but also an attractive alternative to traditional construction.

Together we contribute to a more sustainable Netherlands: Rijksvastgoedbedrijf, IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs, Ingenieursburo Linssen, LBP|SIGHT, Schoonderbeek Installatie Groep B.V., Putman B.V., Dijkstaal B.V., Willemsen Houtbouw, Herstructureringsmaatschappij Overijssel and the other partners mentioned.