On Tuesday, 5 July, construction started in Dordrecht on the ‘Plusgebouw’ (Plus Building), a design by Powerhouse Company. The Plusgebouw is being developed and constructed by property developer Heijmans within the Leerpark masterplan drawn up by West 8. Covering about 2,700 m2 of space, the office building will come into operation in the spring of 2012 as a base for the ambulance service in the region of Zuid-Holland Zuid and as the new office accommodation for Zuid-Holland Safety Region.
Architecture
Nanne de Ru, architect and co-founder of Powerhouse Company: ‘The commission was to design an extremely efficient structure with load-bearing facades, optimal surface configurations and a strongly repetitive facade with openings every 1800 mm. The facade design is based on an optimisation of the concrete formwork. The whole facade can be built using just one formwork for all facade components.’ The application of cross patterns on the facade allowed the architect to break up the typical ‘plattenbau’ rhythm, which prefabricated building systems are often susceptible to. The red-tinted concrete gives the building a warm and sensual colour.
Crisis centre
The new building will also house the new Regional Crisis Centre for the Zuid-Holland Zuid region. Disasters and calamities will be tacked from the centre, including events like the recent Moerdijk fire. An important advantage of the centre’s location in Leerpark is that the Safety Region’s offices will be situated next door to the second fire station in the region. This combination of facilities, for example one joint emergency power supply, will enable both services to operate efficiently day and night, seven days a week.
Leerpark
The entire Leerpark area is being developed by property developer Heijmans Vastgoed/Proper-Stok and has been commissioned by the Coöperatie Ontwikkeling Leerpark, the most important clients of which are the Da Vinci College and the municipality of Dordrecht. The Leerpark development comprises schools, offices, retail businesses and 450 homes.
Powerhouse Company
Powerhouse Company was set up in 2005 by Nanne de Ru and Charles Bessard and has a Dutch office in Rotterdam and an office in Copenhagen, Denmark. The office is active in the fields of architecture, urban design and research. Their first projects — Villa I and Spiral House — earned De Ru and Bessard international acclaim. On 28 October Nanne de Ru will receive the Rotterdam Maaskant Prize 2011 for Young Architects.
Web: Powerhouse Company
