Pré Wonen office building, Velsen
Pré Wonen commissioned the design of a building that would be suitable for various offices and business functions, so that other businesses or organizations could be accommodated besides the housing corporation itself. At this busy location near Velserbroek, the building presents itself prominently in various directions. It is surrounded on three sides by the approach roads to the motorway and the motorway itself, while for deliveries it can be accessed from the remaining side via a local road. Unlike many projects at high-profile locations, the Pré Wonen building therefore has no front or rear; it is omnidirectional.
Inspired by the lineation of the surroundings roads, the building has a rounded outline. This is accentuated by the copper shell of the facade with rows of floor-to-ceiling windows. From one floor to the next the alignment of the rows of fenestration is staggered. The detailing of the windows shows restraint – they are set in aluminium frames with a copper trim. The rhythm of the facade’s articulation is interrupted by a couple of two-storey spaces, the entrance foyer and the conference room, which are prominently manifest in the facade thanks to their surrounds of white concrete. These openings allow even more daylight to stream into the building.
The generous incidence of natural light ensures a pleasant working environment inside. The heart of the building is a generously proportioned atrium with a glass roof. This is the spatial pivot where the greater part of the internal circulation is clustered and where the building’s users encounter each other. The atrium is ideally suited to all kinds of representative functions, such as presentations, exhibitions and meetings. Arranged around it are the floors of office space with a standard ceiling height, which can be arranged as traditional offices or as an ‘office garden’. A circle of office cubicles divides the atrium from the remaining office space, thus forming an acoustic buffer.
