RNAFMHQ APARTMENTS
Transformation of a Military Complex into an Apartment Building
6 spacious apartments in a converted and extended former Dutch Air Force medicine headquarters building, 1125 sqm, Soesterberg, The Netherlands
Convert & Extend
The 1950’s former Royal Netherlands Air Force Medicine building and its supporting garage in Soesterberg are converted into a residential complex with six spacious apartments ranging from 120 to 190 sqm.
The structure added between the two old buildings rises over the main volume to replace the old pitched roof. The new extension hosts large open living areas, while the old building with its many rooms divided by thick brick walls contains private areas with bedrooms and bathrooms. Buildings, spaces and atmospheres merge and create a unique dialogue in each apartment between the new and the old.
The shared front and side garden refers to the spectacular heather and forest landscape of the surroundings of Soesterberg.
Reinterpreting the Vocabulary of the Old Building
The characteristics of the old military buildings with its solid nature, large cantilevering roofs, strong horizontal lines and vertical infills are reinterpreted in the new extension. The addition follows the play of vertical and horizontal with short pieces of wall and glazing in between large cantilevering floors. The old masonry with its integrated concrete elements and different brick patterns is echoed in the new extension by the usage of two types of renders divided by horizontal lines. The new structure simultaneously contrasts with the solid nature of the old building mass and refers to the vocabulary of 1950’s buildings.
Client: 3K Ontwikkeling
Structural engineer: Brouwer & Kok
Contractor: Remar Bouw
Status: permit granted, under construction, completion 2024
Design team: Edwin Larkens, Majka Mikulska, Matteo Talarico, Jovita Laurukėnaitė, Alberto Nanni, Sai Chand
Copyright Studio Larkemika