One of the best Amsterdam buildings will soon not be in the capital, but about 150 kilometers away. The Tijdelijke Rechtbank Amsterdam (Temporary Court of Amsterdam), which won the Amsterdam Architecture Prize in 2017 for its innovative circular concept, will be located in Enschede from next year. On 9 November, the careful dismantling of this unique building will start.
The Temporary Court is the first large building in the Netherlands to be dismantled without a demolition hammer and rebuilt at a different location. The building that housed the Amsterdam District Court from 2016 to 2021 will be dismantled and will be given the following destination at Kennispark Twente: not only figuratively, in this case also literally. The Temporary Court of Amsterdam, awarded the Amsterdam Architecture Prize (Golden A.A.P.), is seen as an example of circular construction.
circular building
“It may sound crazy coming from an architect, but I am proud that the Temporary Court of Amsterdam is finally going away,” says Ronald Schleurholts of cepezed. His office managed to unite apparently contradictory requirements in an extremely innovative and circular design. It was known that the building could only remain standing for five years, while the prevention of waste was a requirement.
The interim character of the building does not affect the quality, functionality or representativeness of the building. Matters such as the equipment, complex logistics, acoustics, comfort, safety and appearance have the same level as in a permanent building. The building consists of beautifully designed detachable parts that no longer require finishing. This has already resulted in considerable savings in the use of materials in the design. And because the parts are visible, disassembling them becomes almost as easy as the assembly process. “Finally, we can prove that cepezed's remountable design also works in practice,” says Menno Rubbens, of the dpcp development team.
amsterdam pride
Construction professionals are looking forward to the dismantling process, which has never been seen on this scale. Lagemaat BV from Heerde is responsible for the entire process, including the rebuilding in Enschede. For architecture enthusiasts, the good news is that the building will not be lost. But there will soon be one 'best building in Amsterdam' less in the capital. It is precisely the sustainable Amsterdammer who can be extra proud of the Temporary Court of Amsterdam, because the move underlines the circular character of the building.
'best building in amsterdam' no longer in the capital
online debate about circular and remountable construction in practice
Follow the online debate on circular and remountable construction in practice on Tuesday November 9th, between 4:00-5:30 pm. Find out about all the ins and outs of the Temporary Court of Amsterdam.Themes of the debates are: detachability, the social impact and the business case of circular and remountable construction.
Guests are:
• Jort Kelder (discussion leader)
• Francesco Veenstra (Government Architect)
• Jim Teunizen (driver of the circular construction economy, Alba Concepts)
• Jan Willem van de Groep (inspirator, innovator and entrepreneur)
• Arend van de Beek (project partner, Lagemaat BV)
• Menno Rubbens (project partner, dpcp)
The broadcast will be broadcast via a live stream. Interested parties can register via www.cepezed.nl/nl/aanmelden until 10 pm on Monday 8 November. Viewers can join the debate via chat.
