Rotterdam in development

38 R O T T E R D A M I N O N T W I K K E L I N G | 2 0 1 8 uality is the core theme of the plan. The courthouse has already had a big makeover, and this stately, yellow-brick national monument with its direct access to the canal now houses offices and a medical centre. The neighbouring section, which used to house the notarial archive, has been given a new purpose in the hospitality sector. The next step is to convert the four different wings of the cell complex into spacious homes (phase 1). The green space around it, which has been hidden behind high walls since the prison (1872) and courts (1899) came into use, is now being transformed into a community garden accessible to everyone. The central government, which owns the structures, decided to dispose of the courts and prison complex at the beginning of this century. A multiple contract was intended to indicate the best destination for the complex, and market actors were invited to submit plans for the complex, to give the Old North a big boost. The municipality’s most important condition and explicit wish was for the 3.5-hectare site surrounding the prison to become a community garden, as the Old North has an acute shortage of green areas. Moreover, the plans had to retain as many of the complex’s monumental features as possible. APPEALING With their combination of residential functions, city park, hospitality and care facilities, the partnership between real estate developer HD Group and construction company BAM Wonen offered the most appealing plan, and therefore won the tender. Other disciplines are also united in the consortium: Wessel de Jonge architects, who specialise in revitalising monumental buildings, designed the homes, while Quadrat, which covers urban planning, landscape and architecture, took care of the design of the community garden. “Several changes were made to the plans for phase 1, but these only improved the quality,” according to Robin Dijkgraaf, HD Group Director, and Leendert den Heijer, Director of BAM Wonen. Those changes mainly related to the condition of the foundations of three wings, which upon further investigation turned out to be in a poor state of repair. That caused a big switch in the plans: it was now impossible to preserve the cells as part of the homes. Leendert: “It felt like a setback, but it actually made the plan better.” Robin: “We decided on a solution where we would keep the outer façades, but Robin Dijkgraaf (HD Group Director) and Leendert den Heijer (Director of BAM Wonen) Q