How much can a building or an ensemble of buildings take? That is the key question with regard to transformations aimed at function change, sustainability or expansion, with the ambition – and frequently also the obligation – to do justice to what is already there. We determine the capacity and the cultural history spectrum, taking into account the material value, the underlying spatial structure and the emotional value. We define the elements essential for preservation, and why this is so, and we indicate the scope for change. By way of inspiration we suggest design themes, possible interpretations of what the heritage stands for and references for solutions. The guiding design principles and the stories frequently offer great leads. All this is recorded by us in transformation guidelines, an assessment framework, a frame of reference or a recommendation. Transformation guidelines contain rules for spatial interventions, so that all parties concerned know where they stand; clarity right from the start. Subsequently, the guidelines can be used as an assessment framework for the evaluation and can be regarded as architectural guidelines for a building. They can assume the role of an agreement between, for example, a municipality and a developer, in situations where the municipality does not wish to regulate every detail, but does want to maintain control.

CASE 1

THE ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE, THE

Cultural heritage valuation assessment

commissioned by: Lichtstad Erfgoed BV (2019)

In 1964, cellist and architect Leon Waterman was asked to design the new accommodation for the Royal Conservatoire, founded in 1826. Right next to the heavy traffic of Utrechtsebaan, he designed a sober music and dance complex, with a dynamic interior full of character. Differences in height and a remarkable bay window façade define the exterior. The interior offered the students a ‘paradise of silence’, with classrooms looking out onto two courtyard gardens, forming green oases amidst the asphalt, concrete and steel of the surrounding office district. Having studied at a conservatoire as a young man, Waterman recognised himself in the conservatoire students. He designed the building in a way that would allow and encourage students to fill it with character, music and dance. In 2021, the Royal Conservatoire moved to the Amare education and culture complex on Spuiplein. In connection with the development plans for the Central Innovation District, the municipality of The Hague assigned SteenhuisMeurs to draw up a cultural heritage assessment, with recommendations for the vacant Conservatoire building. Amidst the large-scale renewal of the area around The Hague Central Station, the Royal Conservatoire has the potential to become a much-needed placemaker, defining a more layered identity of the office district. The design of the building offers space for the community feeling that is currently missing, offering serenity and lushness in the inner courtyards and a more vibrant atmosphere along the public streets. The Conservatoire is a prime example of post-65 architecture in the Netherlands, as well as being important in a broader European architectural context. The cultural heritage assessment and the recommendations for further development are available online (in Dutch only).

The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague

CASE 1

STRATUMSEDIJK 24 AND 26, EINDHOVEN

Cultural heritage assessment and framework for transformation (2022)

commissioned by: Kero vastgoedontwikkeling, Waalre

On Stratumsedijk in Eindhoven there are two villas dating back to the end of the nineteenth century. Both have national monument status. Set in the outskirts of Eindhoven, prominent manufacturers from the city enjoyed the space and quiet of their private estates here. In the 1920s, the area between Stratumsedijk and the river Dommel grew into villa district Den Elzent. After the Second World War, a ring road running right through the backyards of both villas was built around the inner city. On this P.C. Hooftlaan, the pre-war villas and later public buildings, such as the offices of the Public Health Service and the Employment Office, alternated. Today, the villa district is a protected townscape, but at the same time there is strong pressure to further densify along the centre ring and Stratumsedijk. New buildings in the back gardens of both villas are also on the agenda. SteenhuisMeurs was asked by the developer to formulate design principles for this development. This assignment consists of a cultural heritage assessment, in which the meaning of the location is interpreted, followed by transformation guidelines based on the heritage value of the location.

Stratumsedijk 24 and 26, Eindhoven

CASE 3

THE EVOLUON, EINDHOVEN

Cultural heritage valuation assessment

commissioned by: Lichtstad Erfgoed BV (2019

The Evoluon was opened in 1966, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Philips lighting concern. Up till 1989, the iconic building had attracted over ten million visitors, who learned there about the relationship between technology and society. After its closure, the Evoluon received a second life as a Philips conference centre. The building complex was renovated, an auditorium was added, and the outdoor area was redesigned. The new Evoluon was festively reopened in 1991 as the ‘Philips Competence Centre’. In 2019, Philips sold the listed building and the land to Lichtstad Erfgoed BV (Foolen & Reijs Vastgoed). The new owner has the ambition to give the complex a new lease of life, thereby strengthening its profile as a public centre. With that in mind, Lichtstad Erfgoed BV commissioned SteenhuisMeurs to carry out a cultural heritage assessment study in order to give an impression of the monumental value of the complex at different levels of scale. The urban development value is particularly important in this respect, in view of the ambition to develop the site surrounding the Evoluon. The cultural heritage analysis provides points of reference for specifying the qualities of the Evoluon as key assets.

The Evoluon, Eindhoven