Description of project by DELVA, KAAN and DENC-STUDIO
A barren wasteland in the parceled-out Flanders is undergoing a metamorphosis; a transformation that will introduce extensive green. Many new trees will soon form the new context of three timber towers. A gate; an inseparable ensemble of landscape and architecture, stimulates and shows that business parks can also transform into inspiring and pleasant places for people and animals.
International team led by DELVA wins tender
Team DELVA – KAAN – DENKC-STUDIO, wins the tender Poort van de Prijkels. This led by Alheembouw-Steenoven and commissioned by the intermunicipal association Veneco.
The team is joining forces to make the "Gate of the Prijkels" a new reference in how office buildings and nature can be developed hand in hand.
Setting an example for the new way of working
Sustainability, ecology, social welfare, architecture and landscape value: the combination makes the "Poort van de Prijkels" an exemplary project. It answers more than one problem. We want to switch up the preconceived notion of the typical ugly, concrete industrial site. We strive to create a real destination, an inspiring place for people and animals that focuses on well-being; a place that you are drawn to because it has its own identity. Ecology is the decisive factor in this, that is why we are creating a space here that fully respects and integrates the natural environment. Out of respect for the soil, we avoid any unnecessary compaction and we make a closed cut and fill balance. In this way we try to ensure that people, nature and animals live together coherently and sustainably.
The project thus shines in its integrated approach to all current building challenges of our time. Responsibility is thus taken to carry out the construction tasks in a balanced and sustainable way.
Gate of the Prijkels by DELVA, KAAN and DENC-STUDIO. Rendering by Vivid Vision.
Mental health first
Inclusion and the mental well-being of future users are given the highest priority. A beautiful forest landscape will soon meander between the buildings and be admired from the terraces.
“We are moving away from the gray highway infrastructure and traditional concrete here. In this story, we bring landscape and buildings together in such a way that they almost merge, so that you really enter a new world.”
Steven Delva.
A park to get lost in, literally and figuratively
A sea of forest green; this will become the cradle of a business park that harmonizes sustainability, ecology, and conscious entrepreneurship.
“We create a world that inspires; that ensures nature and people meet, and at the same time forms an entrance to the timber towers. Landscape, trees, wooden facade, together they will form the green gate of the Prijkels.”
Steven Delva.
Every day greeted by art
Between all that natural beauty, there will soon also be room for landscape art. A remarkable landscape installation, called De Karreweg, by Dutch artist Paul de Kort will greet everyone who steps through the gate. The work will be photographed daily for a year with the aim of creating a timelapse that will form a digital gateway.
KAAN Architecten is a Rotterdam based architectural firm operating in a global context and merging practical and academic expertise within the fields of architecture, urbanism and research on the built environment. The studio, led by Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen and Dikkie Scipio, consists of an international team of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, engineers and graphic designers. KAAN Architecten believes in cross-pollination between projects and disciplines as an essential tool to fostering a critical debate within the studio.
Since the launch of the firm, KAAN Architecten has handled and supervised a wide range of projects, actively working with the private and the public sector, with project teams that become increasingly multidisciplinary and dynamic. KAAN Architecten maintains a culture of constant evolution, which is essential in a profession that changes at a rapid pace. KAAN Architecten seeks to uphold long-term relationships with its clients, consultants and partners.
KAAN Architecten’s projects transcend the traditional notion of scale and typology, ranging from furniture and interiors to urban development and from retail and offices to museums and buildings for health and education.
Selection of completed projects:
2017, B30 – Bezuidenhoutseweg 30, The Hague (NL)!
2016, De Bank – new KAAN Architecten’s office, Rotterdam (NL)
2016, Supreme Court of the Netherlands, The Hague (NL)!
2015, Provinciehuis of North-Brabant, ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NL)
2013, Dreamhouse, Rotterdam (NL)!
2013, Education Center Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (NL)!
2010, District Water Board Brabantse Delta, Breda (NL)
!2008, Crematorium Heimolen, Sint Niklaas (BE)!
2004, Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague
KAAN Architecten ©Casper Rila
