Half Dose #63: Taets Art and Conference Center

Rotterdam-based 123DV Architectuur & Consult BV Liong Lie Architects sent us these images for their design of the art and conference center at Taets Art Gallery in Zandaam, Netherlands. The project involved the adaptive reuse of a large ammunition factory.


[former ammunition factory turned art gallery | photo by Christian Richters]

Regular readers should know I'm a big fan of interventions like these, especially ones that exploit the gap between old and new, like the House in Brejos de Azeitao or the S(ch)austall, a renovation of a pig barn into a showroom.


[inside the renovated factory | photo by Christian Richters]

The new spaces are inserted as platonic solids into the large void of the old factory, kept below the existing roof and appearing to hover above the floor on a band of LED light.


[existing and intervention | diagram by 123DV]

The oval conference room in the center of the open space draws the most attention, from its form as well as the random specks of light on the copper-clad walls.


[image description | photo by Christian Richters]


[inside the conference room | photo by Christian Richters]

The architects framed the existing slender metal windows with wood frames, contrasting with the new white walls lining the perimeter. This gesture makes the opening looks larger than they really are, while at the same time calling attention to the actual size of the existing windows. These wood frames have the added benefit of concealing the HVAC system and the blinds for the windows.


[perimeter windows with wood framing | photo by Christian Richters]