Assignment

The former post office next to Arnhem's railway station is being converted into government offices. Integral design team De Nieuwe Post, consisting of Kraaijvanger, Karres en Brands, DGMR, DWA and IMD led by Heijmans, has won the tender for the renovation, expansion, interior and realization of the government office Stationsplein West in Arnhem.

The existing office on the Stationsplein will be expanded and revitalized, enhancing its heritage value with a focus on circularity and sustainability. The development will focus not only on the building, but also on its experiential and utilitarian value. There is also an extra focus on sustainable and healthy operations, with important themes such as energy neutrality, circularity, biodiversity and health. As a result, the government office will soon offer various types of work and consultation spaces for more than 400 employees of the Tax and Customs Administration, the Government Property Agency and the Education Executive Agency (DUO).

Concept

Integral design team The New Post was selected on a holistic vision and plan of action for this site in which the seven streams of Building with a Positive Footprint played an important role. It was also important to reinforce the monumental value of this municipal monument within our vision, in which movement and health are also important themes. The adaptive capacity of the office building was the starting point, with this we looked at how the building will develop over time. How adaptive and adaptable should it be then, and based on that we showed how we could make this 50% adaptable and thus future-proof.

The design consists of a wooden topping on the existing building, matching the current architecture. New functions through squares, voids and the atrium will invite visitors to walk. Use of cradle2cradle materials, promotes the health of the user, while ensuring a healthy indoor climate with adequate ventilation.

A circular icon for the inner city

The wooden topping is like an eye-catcher on the existing monumental building; in addition to CO2 storage, it also makes a visual statement in the field of circularity, sustainability and a new way of working. Upon entering through Central Station, you will soon see the employees of the government office visibly working in a sustainable, future-proof and hybrid working environment. This makes the building a circular icon for the inner city of Arnhem.

The wooden topping is completely demountable, making the materials used completely reusable, and is a food bank for the future. Circularity is a very important theme within the vision, 70% of the materials used for the expansion of the national office were harvested from the existing building or from the demolition of other buildings. And ninety percent of everything we apply can be reused or recycled in a high quality manner in the future.

Ecological and social footprint

We are giving an attractive new meaning to the area around the Arnhem train station with the revitalization and expansion of the government office. The current parking lot will be replaced for a green public roof garden. In addition, the surrounding area will be provided with greenery and by relocating the public access, this will soon be an attractive public route from the station, and a beautiful new connecting route to the center of Arnhem. The greenery around the building will be continued in the building through vertical green squares in the interior. The new Grand Café in the plinth will give this place an extra public dimension.

Team de Nieuwe Post is now working on the development of the design in a constructive way by working together through the DOEN philosophy of the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf. There is extra financial room for opportunities that reinforce the added value of this project. In naming the ambitions, the design team has used The New Normal as a guideline.