Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
The Municipality of Hoogezand-Sappemeer ‘ Het Kielzog Cultural Complex ‘ has been given a single, prominent, public building in which a theatre, an arts centre, a library and the town hall are accommodated. In the dynamic heart of this Dutch municipality citizens are served a wide palette of services, information, education, culture and recreation. Existing elements, such as the theatre auditorium, dating back to the 1980s, are re-used in the new development.
Courtesy of De Zwarte Hond – Photographs : Michel Kievits
The adjacent town hall, at the moment still in an outdated state, will ultimately undergo a complete transformation. In the meantime the existing premises and the new build function as a single entity. The connecting, central street forms a temporary solution to the gaps in the present infrastructure. Both in terms of use, as well as technological exploitation and urban design, the new central building has great advantages for Hoogezand-Sappemeer. Courtesy of De Zwarte Hond – Photographs : Michel Kievits
Reuse versus new development :

One of the issues that the municipality struggled with was whether to demolish the existing building or reuse it. De Zwarte Hond presented a plan of measures that focused on studying three reuse scenarios. Each scenario assumed a different reuse percentage: thirty, fifty or eighty percent. The scenarios were compared to establish the best ratio bet...