FOR NEW GENERATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE WORKERS
Right next to Utrecht Central Station, Dura Vermeer has developed the Noordgebouw ('North building'). This multifunctional space houses offices as well as homes, shops and a hotel. The building is the meeting place for a new generation of knowledge workers: modern, international, hospitable and innovative. With its dynamic appearance, the building underlines Utrecht’s 24-hour economy.
Sustainability was the number one priority for this building comes first. The building’s features include air-water heat pumps and LED lighting. Around 700 solar panels provide electricity. The building is also connected to district heating. It has a green ecosystem, there are green walls and roof terraces with greenery.
All of this ensures that living, working, meeting, knowledge sharing and networking come together: the Noordgebouw is Utrecht’s urban hub. The concept fits in perfectly with the increasing demand from Dutch businesses and private individuals for innovative working and living spaces.
Features
• 23,000 m2 • Hotel, shops, restaurant, 14 short-stay flats and workspaces • 8,000 m2 office space • 3,000 m2 shops and restaurants • Depth differences in the façade • Staggered roof surfaces • Collective roof gardens
A large building on a human scale
MONK architects is responsible for the design. Casper Schuuring explains in this video how a 23,000 m2 building retains a human scale. “I am most proud of the fact that the building works.”
Exercise and leisure
The hub also has space for exercise and leisure. With some 8,000 m2 of office facilities, there is ample room for the new generation of knowledge workers. The hotel is equipped with wellness and fitness areas and a swimming pool on the 11th floor.
Connection inspires design
The building connects people in all sorts of ways. There is plenty of opportunity to meet people in the restaurant, there are open and transparent corridors and workspaces throughout the building, and the open roof gardens with diverse vegetation between the short-stay apartments are designed for meeting and getting to know one another.
A building that is open 24 hours a day
Laurens van Doorn is co-developer of the Noordgebouw, a building that will never close.