De Zwarte Hond

TRANSFORMATION OF THE RODEWEESHUISSTRAAT

De Zwarte Hond, together with real estate developers MWPO and Beauvast, transforms Rode Weeshuisstraat from a dark back street in the heart of Groningen into a lively part of the inner city. The repurposing of the former V&D building and its distribution warehouse, and the construction of the Mercado market and housing complex will breathe new life into the public domain. The project demonstrates De Zwarte Hond’s expertise in combining and integrating the strengths of architecture and urban design to improve the (inner) city.

Figure1: Structure within the city Figure 2: the Former V&D department store will be transformed into a multi-tenant building with retail, offices, a restaurant with roof terrace and a large bicycle park in the basement

The northern section of the Grote Markt, Groningen’s main city square, was destroyed in the Second World War. During the post-war reconstruction of the 1950s, large buildings were erected here which radiated the optimism of the era. In one of these, Vroom & Dreesmann (V&D) opened a modern

five-storey department store. Over the years, V&D expanded into a complex of different buildings, with Rode Weeshuisstraat primarily functioning as a supply street. The bankruptcy of the department store chain marked the end of a golden era for the company, but the closing of large department stores in old city centres is not an isolated trend. “Cities are changing,” says Henk Stadens, architect and partner at De Zwarte Hond. “Whereas city centres were previously dominated by cars and department stores, we now see the focus shifting towards experience and quality with, for example, attractive pedestrian areas, local products and specialty shops.”

Rode Weeshuisstraat offers many starting points for this development, with the changing function of buildings and storage spaces into places with activity. “The street has so much potential and it’s a shame to not fully utilise it for the city. If it is up to us, Rode Weeshuisstraat will become a happening new hotspot.” Kristiaan Capelle, Director of MWPO adds: “It is fantastic that we can have this mix of functions in a forgotten part of the city; this works to enliven the city centre.” Figure 5: the former V&D distribution centre has been repurposed with a new mixed-use function. The design celebrates the characteristic elements of post-war architecture, giving it a new life Figure 3 & 4: Designed by the architectural consortium De Zwarte Hond and Loer Architecten, Mercado features a covered market on the ground floor with luxury apartments above. The new building has a smaller footprint than the current block, thus creating space for the new Stalplein

Whereas the city centre previously ended at the north section, the area will now open up and form a new link between different routes in the city. De Zwarte Hond is currently working on two transformation projects and one new building: Het Groot Handelshuis (MWPO), The Warehouse and Mercado (both MWPO & Beauvast). At the same time, the municipality is renewing the pavement in the city centre and creating more space for cyclists and pedestrians. Together, the different projects will ensure a revitalisation of the public space.

De Zwarte Hond