MVRDV Commissioned to Transform Herman Hertzberger’s Centraal Beheer Building into a New Residential District

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Designed for an insurance company, The Centraal Beheer building by Herman Hertzberger in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, is widely recognized as one of the high points of the structuralist movement. MVRDV, in consultation with Herman Hertzberger’s office AHH, is transforming the celebrated building, making it the centerpiece of a new sustainable residential neighborhood while preserving its structure and core principles. The project is part of a larger area of development, a three-hectare site near the city’s train station. MVRDV’s design proposal introduces approximately 650-800 homes while keeping the focus on preservation, greening, and innovation.

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The Centraal Beheer building, opened in 1972, revolutionized office design. Hertzberger designed the primary element, a 9-meter cube, then repeated and adjusted it along two central “streets,” forming the social hub of the building. These interior spaces are equally developed vertically and horizontally. It results in complex interior spaces, with many nooks and corners where people could have a coffee, relax, or hold meetings. Illumination, considered an integral part of architecture, is conceived in terms of street lighting. The use of transparent materials contrasts with the heavily dimensioned main structure and brings natural light into the offices. The building reached international acclaim due to its complex formal expression achieved by using simple elements.

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MVRDV was commissioned to refurbish the now-disused building and its surrounding area into a new residential district. The vision extends the structuralist principles of the office building throughout the site. The axes defining the central streets will inform and become part of the most important routes through the site, thus reinforcing Hertzberger’s original design vision.

The Centraal Beheer building and the Pakhoedtorens, which are also part of the site, will contain a variety of housing. The original structure will be reused as much as possible and refinished with sustainable materials. Besides offering a diverse housing supply, the project also aims to reintroduce the social aspect of the complex by creating attractive public places for future residents. Transforming the existing building will not only preserve Dutch architectural heritage, but it is also a more environmentally friendly option, as refurbishing produces less CO2 emissions than new buildings.

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It's a super cool assignment. Herman Hertzberger is an important role model for me. While studying at the Delft University of Technology, he was one of my professors, along with Aldo van Eyck and Rem Koolhaas – a fine trio. I worked with him twice on InDeSem, the International Design Seminar he organized. His social agenda makes him an inspiring architect to me, and I feel a kinship with him; just as Herman launched a totally new office landscape in the early seventies, MVRDV did the same in the early nineties with the Villa VPRO. We toured the client through the Central Beheer building, and it opened their minds; it became an inspiration for our own work. - Winy Maas, MVRDV founding partner

The structure of Centraal Beheer will be continued in the new neighborhood and buildings. The 9-meter grid will form the basis of the new design, but wood will be used as the primary building material to distinguish the latest structures from the original. The landscape will also have a clear pattern based on the grid, within which a “wilder” infill with trees, grasses, water, and play and sports facilities can be incorporated.

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MVRDV is building experience in revitalizing disused public spaces. The Tripolis Park in Amsterdam, which renovates Aldo van Eyck’s Tripolis office complex, is currently under construction. A new glass extension proposed by MVRDV protects the building from dust and noise from the neighboring motorway. In Utrecht, the master plan for the new Jaarbeurs was launched at the end of 2019, ensuring that one of the oldest trade fairs in the Netherlands will retain its place in the center of Utrecht.