CENTRAAL BEHEER OFFICE, APELDOORN
HTA PRECEDENT STUDY REPORT
VOON YIH THING
Void (Atelier Herman Hertzberger, 2018)
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION Located at Apeldoorn, Netherlands, the Central Beheer Office is designed by Herman Hertzberger in 1968, and was completed in 1972. It was designed to cater around 1000 office workers in the building. DRIVING ETHOS - DUTCH SOCIETY In the 1960s, people in Netherlands gather in their own social groups which has common beliefs. They believe in humanism society, equality in knowledge and social status, democracy, as well as helping each other. They believed in a more humanist society, which modern architecture has failed to follow up.
Gathering space (Atelier Herman Hertzberger, 2018)
DESIGN INTENT
- INCREASE SOCIAL INTERACTION SOCIAL IDEA - STRUCTURALISM The idea of structuralism was driven by the people's beliefs in the society, which is to have equality, democracy and solidarity. This makes the structuralists to explore on the idea of flexible spaces and play around with the social and individual spaces. DESIGN INTENT With the idea of structuralism Hertzberger aimed to design the building to allow equality and flexibility. Hertzberger envisioned the office to be a community workplace, hence he emphasized on maximising social interaction between people. STRUCTURALISM - ARCHITECTURE BELIEFS
CHARACTERISTICS
EQUALITY (SOCIAL STATUS, ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE, POWER, INCOME)
MADE UP OF SMALLER UNITS The building is made up of many small units that have equal size, which brings out the characteristics of equality. - It does not mean that people with higher social status or have higher income or more powerful have a larger office space.
DEMOCRACY
MADE UP OF SMALLER UNITS The smaller units expressed collectivity where people have their own space individually. This forms the idea of democracy which creates a strong sense of self.
BUILDING STRUCTURE - REPETITIVE PATTERNS Patterns were used to express the anti-hierarchy of the spaces.
POLYVALENCE Polyvalence maximise the types of spatial conditions and the mixture of functions which allows the flexibility for the individuals to interpret their space freely. The undefined spaces enhances the idea of democracy which allows a strong sense of identity. SOLIDARITY/ COHESION
CONNECTIVITY OF SPACES It allows more opportunity for people socialize and bond together more freely.
ADAPTABILITY
BUILDING STRUCTURE - REPETITIVE PATTERNS (BRANCHING OUT) Growth and change is inevitable in the society, hence repetitive patterns are used to allow growth and cohesiveness in both interior and the exterior POLYVALENCE Polyvalence allows flexibility in change, when people can change the way of how they want to use it as time passes.
DESIGN RESPONSE - GRID LANGUE Structuralism is the cohesiveness of a building which is made up of small units and repetitive patterns. Hence, Hertzberger uses grid as the building’s langue to standardise the patterns.
PAROLE - MASSING Hertzberger mentioned that he wanted to create a building that allows changes without looking heterogeneous. The use of grid has achieved this as we can see from the building form that expansion can still happen, while it looks like a whole.
Building layout according to grid (M.V.A. Beerken, 2018)
LANGUE - REPEATED UNITS Structuralism is the cohesiveness of a building which is made up of repetitive patterns. The repeated pattern is standardise into each of the module units, which expresses social equality. The use of standardise patterns allows polyvalency, as it does not define the spaces based on the form and allows consistency.
MODULE PLAN
DESIGN RESPONSE - GRID
PAROLE - SOCIAL AND INDIVIDUAL SPACES The idea that Hertzberger had was to create social interaction and sense of identity for the individuals. Hence, different layers (social and individual) are applied to the grid to allow balance between these 2 spaces. Social & Individual Spaces (M.V.A. Beerken, 2018)
PAROLE - DEFINING PATTERNS (MODULE UNIT AND VOIDS) With repeated patterns of the small units which are the modules, another layer was created on the grid which are the voids to blur out the separation between levels and allow visual interaction. Module & Voids (M.V.A. Beerken, 2018)
PAROLE - STRUCTURE With the spatial ideas being defined, the structural elements are also plan out based on the grid outline, which also follows the layers mentioned above.
Structure Layout
DRIVING FACTOR - SITE
CITY CENTRE
PRINCE WILLEM ALEXANDERLAAN It was located in the inner area from the city, but is blocked by the crossroads of Prince Willem ALexanderlaan.
LOCATION The site was located on a very less-cultivated area back then. Hence, it is desired to expand the office into the city centre as much as possible.
UE
E NC
M LIA L I W
E ND A X ALE
VEN RA
PRI DUTCH RAILWAY One of the largest infrastructure around the area. To Hertzberger, a station served more functions than what it should be. To create a “real city”, connection the station is also important.
SITE
Master Plan from Design Stage (Hertzberger, 1971)
LEGEND
DESIGN INTENT
__ - CITY CENTER __ - STATION __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA
- INCREASE CONNECTION OF THE CITY
CITY CENTRE
UNCONNECTED Most public facilities are completed in the 1960s. At that point of time, the public connection between the building and the surrounding is not as strong.
C.B.
STATION
CITY CENTRE
C.B. STATION
CONNECTED To work towards a “real” city, Hertzberger also focused on the connection between the site and its surroundings. Ideas and plans about relating to the infrastructure were developed, such as pedestrian areas and having extra train station.
DESIGN RESPONSE
- MULTIPLE ENTRANCES
As compared to just having one entrance, multiple entrances from different directions increases the chance of people going in to the building.
Connection of Building to Surroundings (Hertzberger, 1968)
Figure on the right shows Hertzberger’s original sketch of how the building brings people from different parts of the city to the building.
Multiple Entrances (Hertzberger, 1968)
LEGEND
DESIGN RESPONSE
__ - CITY CENTER __ - CENTRAL STREET CONNECTION
- CENTRAL STREET
To increase the chances of people using it, the entrances are connected by the central street, which allows people to access to the other end through it. Having several public spaces in the building is not enough in bringing people in. The central street serves as a shortcut in the city which allows them to access to different parts of the city, such as the city centre and the station This idea fulfils the idea of solidarity and social equality, as it brings people with different backgrounds, social status together. Secondly, it also expresses the idea of equality, where it allows people to have equal access to knowledge and other resources by allowing accessibility through the building.
Multiple entrances (Hertzberger, 1968)
BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN Hertzberger also mentioned that he wanted to make the building feel like it’s outside, and to create a feel of mediterranean city. The whole idea of central street is just like a typical street in a city, where there are public areas like cafe, restaurant and printing services. Even the materials used makes the atmosphere of the space feel like it is the outdoor streets
Central street (Hertzberger, 1968)
LEGEND
DESIGN RESPONSE - BACKBONE
By bringing forming a stronger connection, it is more efficient to integrate the building into the area. In order to allow people to flow through the building, the building must have the potential, a very strong identity and recognition. In other words, the “hotspot� of Apeldoorn. To allow this, Hertzberger put the building into the urban condition of the area, and came up with a unique urban character for the building, which is the backbone.
__ - CITY CENTER __ - STATION __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA __ - RESIDENTIAL
Backbone of the city (Hertzberger, 1971)
The figure on the right shows how the pedestrian walkway serves as a backbone of the center. The arrow in the middle is the pedestrian tunnel which connects from one end (city centre) to the other end (station) through the side of Central Beheer office and the surrounding buildings.
Pedestrian area Plan (Hertzberger, 1970)
LEGEND
DESIGN RESPONSE - MASTER PLAN PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL As it was mentioned that the Prince Willem Alexanderlaan is one of the obstructions between the city centre and the site, the pedestrian route was designed such that it runs across the Prince Willem Alexanderlaan through underground tunnel that connects the station and city centre through Central Beheer office.
__ - CITY CENTER __ - STATION __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA __ - RESIDENTIAL
EXTRA TRAIN STATION Since it brings direction connection to the city centre, Hertzberger also provides opportunity for the connection of the pedestrian area to the station
PEDESTRIAN AREA It sits in the center of the pedestrian walkway, which forms a backbone of the center.
MULTIPLE ENTRANCES The building was rotated in 45 degrees which directly faces the city center. This forms a direct connection from the office and allows the city to flow more efficiently from 4 opposite ends.
LOCATION PLAN SCALE 1:5000
LINE OF INQUIRY 1 _______________ MASSING
1 LANGUE - BUILDING OUTLINE
As mentioned earlier, structuralism is the cohesiveness of a building which is made up of small units and repetitive patterns. Hence, to ensure the cohesiveness from the city all the way to the site, Hertzberger started by creating grids that is aligned with the adjacent railway which is langue in structuralism.
GRID OUTLINE WITH RAILWAY TRACK SCALE 1:1000
Hertzberger started by determining the building outline with a 100m x 100m square that aligns with the railway.
BUILDING OUTLINE SCALE 1:1000
LEGEND __ - BUILDINGS __ - ROADS --- - RAILWAY TRACK __ - GREENERY
In the centre of Apeldoorn, the buildings are all generally aligned with the infrastructures. What defines the city patterns are mainly the railway tracks.
LOCATION PLAN SCALE 1:5000
2 ROTATE 45 DEGREES
To further maximise the contact between the building and the outside world, Hertzberger then rotate the building axis by 45 degrees.
ROTATED GRID IN 45 DEGREES SCALE 1:1000
This increases the building perimeter while still keeping the building footprint within the square.
APPLY FOOTPRINT TO GRID SCALE 1:1000
LEGEND
CONNECTION TO CITY CENTRE
__ - CITY CENTER __ - CONNECTION
As Hertzberger mainly use grid as the langue, the direction of the grid also defines the way how the building is orientated.
90 DEGREES The building is facing away from the city, which contradicts Hertzberger’s original intention
CITY CENTRE
SITE PLAN BEFORE ROTATING THE GRID SCALE 1:1500
45 DEGREES The building directly faces the city centre, which increases connection between them.
CITY CENTRE
SITE PLAN BEFORE ROTATING THE GRID SCALE 1:1500
3 PAROLE - SPLIT THE VOLUME
To express the idea of democracy, Hertzberger splitted the volume into 9.0m by 9.0m building blocks. At the same time, the 3.0m gap around the unit blocks are formed connected bridges and surrounding voids.
DIVIDED VOLUME SCALE 1:1000
STRUCTURALISM
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BEFORE & AFTER SPLITTING SCALE 1:1000
4 PAROLE - CENTRAL STREET
To allow more efficient access throughout the building and enhance the idea of connectivity, Hertzberger introduced the central street by placing it in between the divided quadrants.
CREATING 4 QUADRANTS SCALE 1:1000
To avoid long hallway, Hertzberger offset the quadrants by one grid, which forms a central square which connects all parts of the building. Not only it reinforces the idea of solidarity, but it has also increased the value of the spaces with more spatial possibility.
CREATING CENTRAL STREET SCALE 1:1000
LEGEND __ - CITY CENTER __ - STATION __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - SITE __ - RESIDENTIAL __ - ROAD __ - PARK __ - WATER BODY
CENTRAL BEHEER
CITY CENTRE
A more defined connection to the park and city center is required due to the obstruction of the Prins Willem-Alexanderlaan.
RESIDENTIAL
STATION The connection towards the station also allows users who travel to the office by train RESIDENTIAL HOUSINGS Creation of multiple entrances allows easier access for the users who came from nearby housings, or even users who travel to the office by train.
RESIDENTIAL
INCREASING CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE SITE AND THE CITY As mentioned earlier that Hertzberger wanted to connect Central Beheer to the city and the station, he has introduced multiple entrances into the building. The plan below shows how creating a central street by offsetting the mass can help to connect to the city more efficiently.
LOCATION PLAN SHOWS FUNCTION MAPPING AROUND THE SITE SCALE 1:8000
5 PAROLE STEPPED FORM As mentioned earlier, Hertzberger wanted to create a building that is coherent with the site. Hence, Hertzberger applied this in 3 dimensional by creating a pyramid form, which means the building height gets lowers as it approaches the building edge. This creates access to the outside at every floor, which increases the direct contact to the outside world.
CREATING DIFFERENT HEIGHTS SCALE 1:1000
Apeldoorn existed on the scenic transition of high to low subsoil. In order to ensure the coherence, the building follows the shape of its terrain and at the same time, forms a counterweight-conceptual vision. Terrain (Atelier Herman Hertzberger, 2019)
PAKHOED BUILDING Other than its terrain, the form of building was also derived from its adjacent pakhoed building with a gradual rising mass in order to create coherence. Building after completion (WAIF, 2015)
Hertzberger wanted to create a building that accepts changes, such as expansions and contractions, while still maintaining the building as a united whole without looking incomplete.
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BOUNDING BOX ENCLOSED INCOHERENT ABSENCE OF OUTDOOR AREAS SENSE OF UNITY HARDER TO ACCEPT EXPANSION
OPENNESS COHERENT MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUTDOOR SPACES SENSE OF UNITY EASIER TO ACCEPT EXPANSION
COMPARISON BETWEEN WITH AND WITHOUT STEPPED FORM SCALE 1:1000
LINE OF INQUIRY 2 _______________ PROGRAMMATIC DISTRIBUTION
View of Office Space (Atelier Herman Hertzberger, 2018)
LEGEND __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - MAIN SPACES __ - CARPARK
__ - RESTAURANT __ - TERRACE __ - NOT APPLICABLE
STRUCTURALISM CENTRAL STREET & THE 4 QUADRANTS POLYVALENCY - 4 QUADRANTS There are a variety of uses of these 4 quadrants. As you can see from the exploded isometric view, the four quadrants of each floors are put into different uses, such as office spaces, public spaces, terrace and carparks.
CONNECTIVITY OF SPACES CENTRAL STREET As mentioned earlier that Hertzberger wanted a more efficient access throughout the whole building. The building is divided into 4 quadrants to reduce the density of the whole space. To define this separation, a central street is introduced which connects all the quadrants together. This has fulfilled Hertzberger’s idea of having sufficient access.
DIAGRAM SHOWS ZONINGS ON DIFFERENT LEVELS
LEGEND
PROGRAMMATIC DISTRIBUTION
-
ENTRANCE CENTRAL STREET GATHERING SPACE RESTAURANT KITCHEN ESCALATORS/ ELEVATORS/ STAIRCASE TOILET GROUPS SERVICE AREAS TERRACES CAR PARK
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW
1ST & 4TH QUADRANT - CARPARK
CAR PARK On both basement and level 1, the car parks are kept to the 1st and 4th quadrant. The intention of placing the carparks all at one side is to keep it away from the pedestrian area. The building needs a car park that can cater to up to 400 lot. The car park used up 4 quadrants of the building spaces, which were distribute into 2 storeys - basement and 1st storey, instead of being placed in a storey. This allows two types of circulations - human and vehicular, to be taken place at the same time and at the same place. This forms another expression of equality in social status, income etc. and also allow more chances for different kinds of people to meet.
DIAGRAM SHOWS ZONINGS ON BASEMENT & 1ST STOREY
3D EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW OF BASEMENT AND 1ST STOREY
3RD QUADRANT
- PEDESTRIAN AREA 3RD STOREY & 4TH STOREY - ABSENCE OF MASSING There is massing of the 3rd quadrant only stops at the second level. This reinforces the idea of the pedestrian area in the 3rd quadrant without adding other uses the “tower”.
2ND STOREY - LARGE TERRACE The location of the terrace expresses the idea of the spaces below it, which is different from the other 4 quadrants.
1ST STOREY RESTAURANT The restaurant is located at the quadrant that is nearest to the pedestrian area. This idea helps to strengthen the idea of the “backbone”
BASEMENT - OUTDOOR Spaces are created for access from the underground pedestrian area, where 2 of the access is already at. This increases the chance of people using the public space (restaurant) in the building.
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW
LEGEND __ - CENTRAL SQUARE __ - ESCALATOR/ELEVATOR __ - GATHERING SPACE
CENTRAL STREET CENTRAL SQUARE
The central square is located at the centre of the central street. This forms a very important space that makes people meet as it connects all parts of the building at the centre.
ESCALATOR & ELEVATOR As a form of vertical transportation that is the most efficient, it was being placed in the central square to allow people to access easily.
GATHERING SPACE The use of escalator has made Hertzberger’s intention of wanting the space to be the most crowded successful. To optimise the use of this space, several gathering spaces are created to allow different meetings to occur for different social groups. The use of escalators and elevators also helps people from different levels to come together and meet.
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW
LEGEND __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - STAIRCASE __ - TECHNICAL TOWER
CENTRAL STREET SERVICE AREAS
TECHNICAL TOWER The technical tower is place on the central street that is near the restaurant. Among all the other places in the building, the kitchen requires more services to meet their needs. Since the central street is where any part of building can easily access it. Hence, placing the tower at one side of the street allows the ease of connection of the service pipes and cables.
SERVICE AREA (TOILET GROUPS & STAIRCASE) Stairs were places on 4 different sides where the main entrance and the service areas are, so people can easily access from the 4 different quadrants. This enhances the idea of the central street as people have to pass through it in order to get to the sides.
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW
LEGEND __ - OFFICE SPACE __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - CORRIDOR SPACE
STRUCTURALISM - MODULE UNIT In structuralism, self identity, social equality and connectivity are all important. This was already achieved by having the central street and the 4 quadrants, where there are both social and individual spaces.
As mentioned in the massing section earlier, Hertzberger has created repeated patterns by splitting the volume up with the idea of structuralism in mind, which forms many small units.
CENTRAL STREET AND 4 QUADRANTS
The idea of the central street and 4 quadrants are being scaled down at the same time, where each of the module space consists of two types of spaces which is the office and corridor space. For example, the corridor spaces serves like a central street for the module, while the office space is where polyvalence takes place.
MODULE PLAN
LEGEND __ - OFFICE SPACE __ - CORRIDOR SPACE
STRUCTURALISM - MODULE UNIT CORRIDOR Corridor is the usual space that connects different spaces together. However, there is not much events happening in the usual corridor which is long and narrow. In this case, Hertzberger has broken the rule of how a corridor should be. He connects all 4 sides of the entrances to the unit which intersects each other. This allows more opportunity for people to meet and socialize as the corridor is not defined by walls, but is defined by space. The corridor is measure around 2.1m wide, which creates a wide and comfortable area for people to interact. MODULE PLAN SHOWING CORRIDOR SPACE
OFFICE The module units consists of 4 office units which is placed at the 4 corners. This provides a certain level of privacy (individual) by providing people with their own space, which creates a strong sense of identity.
MODULE PLAN SHOWING OFFICE SPACE
LEGEND __ - OFFICE SPACE
POLYVALENCE - OFFICE UNIT
OFFICE As one of the idea of structuralism is to allow growth and changes, the space of the office are sized in 3.45m by 3.45m to allow polyvalence to occur. This allows users to determine their own spaces according to their own preferences, which has also created a strong sense of identity to the users. The diagram on the right shows the different types of layout that occur in the office units. There could be even have mix of up to 4 types of layout in each unit. Although structuralism focuses on the idea of openness and interactions among people, Hertzberger does not want a large office space where all people work together in one space, and is only separated by partitions. Because this idea does not emphasize on their individual character and value. Hence, the form of the module unit creates a certain separation while still working together in one open space.
MODULE PLAN SHOWING DIFFERENT LAYOUT OF OFFICE SPACE
LINE OF INQUIRY 3 _______________ STRUCTURE
Exploded Isometric View of Structure
GRID One important factor in structuralism is the use cohesiveness and consistent patterns. To maintain the repetitive pattern of the building, the structural elements were arranged in accordance to the grid. The grid size were set to be 3.0m by 3.0m, such that each module is measured 9.0m by 9.0m, which is sufficient to accommodate all types of programmes. This has allowed polyvalency, which is the idea of equality and flexibility.
COLUMNS & BEAMS The diagram on the right shows the plan of the arrangement of the columns and beams. It is very obvious that the arrangement of the columns follows the grid closely, by locating it on the intersection of the grid lines. At the same time, the beams runs along the grids which clearly defines the module units. The columns at the carpark are also arranged differently due to the size of the cars. The columns are arranged diagonally but still follows closely to the grid.
CEILING PLAN SHOWING TYPICAL LAYOUT
SLAB The plan on the right shows the different types of construction are assigned to the area according to the grids. The use of grid as langue allows the slabs to be pre-casted using a more standardized dimensions. Secondly, it has also allowed the types of construction to be easily identified.
PLAN SHOWING TYPICAL LAYOUT
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - CORRIDOR
MODULE UNIT
The exploded drawing shows each of the structural elements that helps to define the spaces. Cast-in-situ concrete slab for corridor space Precast concrete full slab, for office space
Precast concrete half slab, for corridor space
Cast-in-situ concrete corner for secondary beams
Precast concrete secondary beam, attached to main beam
Cast-in-situ concrete corner, to allow placement of cross duct at the centre
T-shaped precast concrete main beam, attached to columns of different modules.
T-shaped precast concrete columns, with groove on for the corridor beam to be connected through steel reinforcements.
EXPLODED 9X9 MODULE UNIT SCALE 1:200 ON A4
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - CORRIDOR
COLUMNS
- EXPRESSION These columns are usually placed on the side of the module to serve as an entrance and also to avoid physical obstruction.
CORRIDOR As seen from the illustration, the top part (shaded part) of the column outlines the corridor and marks the dividing line between the corridor and the office.
OFFICE As seen from the illustration, the bottom part (shaded part) of the column defines the perimeter of the office space.
PLAN SHOWING LOCATION OF COLUMNS
COLUMNS - FUNCTION
T-SHAPED COLUMN The diagram on the left shows the possible layout of cars with T columns at the carpark. Although 4 cars are still being able to fit in with the same amount of space, but there is only a small space for them to drive into the space (shown in red). Hence, the use of T shape is not suitable for this space.
BEFORE COLUMN CONVERSION
COLUMN CONVERSION Due to the size of the cars, there is a need for sufficient car park spaces and driveway that is wide enough. To cater to these requirements, the number of columns are being reduced through the conversion of 4 into 1 big “mushroom” column. This is done by placing it at the centre of the square unit formed by the four columns. This forms a diagonal grid which are around 8.5m apart.
AFTER COLUMN CONVERSION
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - CORRIDOR
BEAMS - EXPRESSION LOCATION
CORRIDOR (MAIN BEAM) Following the direction of the top part of the column, the main beam carries the linking bridge through connecting the corridor space from one module to another.
OFFICE (SECONDARY BEAM) Following the direction of the bottom part of the column, the secondary beam encloses the module.
TYPICAL MODULE PLAN SHOWING BEAM LAYOUT SCALE 1:200
BEAMS - EXPRESSION RELATIONSHIP
The diagram on the right shows how the beams connect together. The main beam (shown in yellow) that encloses the unit space and the corridor beam (shown in dark blue) that runs along the circulation space overlaps and houses each other. The corridor beam connects every module together which further expressed its original function of making people meet. This forms the idea of solidarity as the overlapping opposes the feel of isolation through the structural expression.
ISOMETRIC VIEW SHOWING BEAM LAYOUT
Both primary beam and the secondary is approximately 9m long, the dimensions has also expressed the equality between people. The cross ducts (shown in turquoise) also forms an expression which connects the individual spaces together within the module.
BEAM LAYOUT
LEGEND __ - CORRIDOR
EXPRESSION
- SHAPE & DIMENSION OF BEAMS
600mm
240mm
830mm CORRIDOR (MAIN BEAM) The main pipes are placed at the corridor area as it allows them to pass through different modules of the building as compared to placing them at the interpretable zones which is the office. The main beam is deep enough such that it can house all the pipes within the false ceiling (shown in section).
300mm
CROSS SECTION OF MAIN BEAM
The depth of the main beam defines the height from the floor to ceiling, which creates strong visual impression to the users, to allow them to identify the zones easily.
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT PERSPECTIVE SECTION
LEGEND __ - OFFICE
EXPRESSION
- SHAPE & DIMENSION OF BEAMS
Follows the outline of the column
150mm
Extrusion at the entrance of the module
150mm
300mm
210mm 240mm OFFICE (SECONDARY BEAM) As mentioned earlier, each module consists of 2 distinct zones, the social and the individual. In order to exaggerate the difference between the two zones, the upside down T shape is the most direct way to differ from the main beam.
600mm
350mm CROSS SECTION OF SECONDARY BEAM
This has also allowed the false ceiling to connect from the main beam to the secondary beam.
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT PERSPECTIVE SECTION
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - CORRIDOR
FLOOR SLAB - EXPRESSION
TYPICAL LAYOUT
CORRIDOR (PRECAST HALF SLAB) During the construction process, the role of cast-in-situ concrete is to connect different precast components together. This symbolises connectivity and solidarity, which is the main quality of the corridor space.
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT PLAN
OFFICE (PRECAST FULL SLAB) Unlike half slabs, full slabs expresses more on independence, which is the main quality of the office space.
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT PLAN
LINE OF INQUIRY 4 _______________ PUBLIC VS PRIVATE
View of restaurant (Atelier Herman Hertzberger, 2018)
LEGEND __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA
BASEMENT Similarly, the main spaces are kind of hidden underground. However, due to the pedestrian area that is near the pedestrian area (shown in red circle), the space becomes more public than a usual basement.
CARPARK The carpark is hidden underground, which the level of privacy is higher.
PEDESTRIAN AREA
MOST PRIVATE
MOST PUBLIC
BASEMENT SCALE 1:1000
1ST STOREY CARPARK The carpark is completely open and the contact to the exterior is more, hence it is a public space where people access before even get into the building itself.
The absence of partition walls allows a large and open area, where there is no physical entrance. This freedom has define the space to be one of the most public spaces.
MOST PRIVATE
MOST PUBLIC
1ST STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
2ND STOREY Although there is no partition walls, but the modules are separated into small islands by parapet walls and voids. The island form gives a feeling of an isolated area. Hence the degree of privacy even for the corridor space is still higher than the large space at level 1.
The level of privacy gets higher as it starts to get further from the central street.
MOST PRIVATE
MOST PUBLIC
2ND STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
3RD STOREY Although the level of privacy gets increases as it gets further from the central street, the presence of the terraces decreases the level or privacy at the units at the side. The increase number of voids leads to more isolation, hence making the space more private.
MOST PRIVATE
MOST PUBLIC
3RD STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
4TH STOREY On the uppermost storey, the level of privacy are generally the same among its level as the floor area is quite small and is furthest from the main central area.
MOST PRIVATE
MOST PUBLIC
4TH STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
VOID
PUBLIC AREA - VISUAL INTERACTION The void forms another type of public area, where visual connection occur between different modules which is shown on the right. Each of the office space are kept open which allows people to look across the level. PERSPECTIVE SECTION
PROVIDING PRIVACY FOR OFFICE The void provides a more separation as compared to partitions, as people still can look over to each other’s individual space. The presence of void forces people to use the corridor area in order to access other people’s office space.
View of the void (Atelier Herman Hertzberger, 2019)
LEGEND __ - CORRIDOR
PUBLIC - MODULE UNIT CORRIDOR
The cross in the middle is where it separates but connect the individual space at the same time. This allows people who uses that module to meet at that intersection point. A corridor space is usually a more public space where different people will use it. However, for a typical corridor space, it is long and narrow which there is not much opportunity for people to use the space for a long duration. While for this building, Hertzberger transformed the corridor space into a space where people can communicate. First, the area of the corridor space is bigger than the area of the office space, as it is equally wide as the office space (3m). People would feel that it is useful as the space is wide enough for discussion without obstructing the way of other people. Secondly, there is no physical separations like partition walls to separate the corridor space, hence the openness of the corridor allows people to use it comfortably.
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT PLAN
MODULE UNIT PERSPECTIVE SECTION
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - PRIVATE __ - PUBLIC
PUBLIC OR PRIVATEMODULE UNIT OFFICE
The office space has a higher level of privacy as compared to the corridor space. However, it is not completely private, it was designed to be polyvalent. This means that people can interpret the space to be public or private, which allows people who are both social and anti-social to work comfortably in the area.
The diagram on the right shows the different possibilities of layout to accommodate a range of 1-4 person in an office unit while keeping each of their privacy. Conversation may still take place at the corridor.
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT PLAN
4
2
1
3
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT LAYOUT FOR INDIVIDUAL (PRIVATE) SPACE
4
2
The diagram on the right shows the different possibilities of layout to accommodate a range of 1-4 person in an office unit to allow people to socialise among their groups. 3
TYPICAL MODULE UNIT LAYOUT FOR SOCIAL (PUBLIC) SPACE
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - CORRIDOR
EXPRESSION - MODULE UNIT CEILING HEIGHT
CORRIDOR The ceiling height at the corridor (public/social) space is around 2.0m high which is lower than a usual ceiling height. This gives a feeling concentration and coziness, which is another form of bonding.
MODULE UNIT PERSPECTIVE SECTION
OFFICE The ceiling height at the office (semi private/individual) is 2.8m high which is a desirable height for any use of space, which allows polyvalency.
MODULE UNIT PERSPECTIVE SECTION
LINE OF INQUIRY 5 _______________ CIRCULATION
View of Escalator (Apdency, 2016)
LEGEND - - - ACCESS TO STAIRS __ - STAIRS __ - VERTICAL CIRCULATION
VERTICAL CIRCULATION STAIRCASE
STAIRCASE Stairs were places on 4 different sides, so people can easily access from the 4 different quadrants. For each quadrant, there are 2 nearest staircase for users to use. The circulation is being spread among the 4 sides. However, this causes users to not use the central streets as often.
LOCATION OF STAIRCASE
LEGEND __ - ESCALATOR/ELEVATOR __ - VERTICAL CIRCULATION
VERTICAL CIRCULATION ESCALATOR & ELEVATOR ESCALATOR & ELEVATOR In the centre of the building is the escalator and elevator, so that people can easily access from any part of the building. This is also where it connects the 4 different sides together to form a path which is the central street. This allows people to circulate more on the central street.
ESCALATOR The escalators criss-crossing across different floors at the core of the central street. This forms an expression of intersection and further emphasized the idea of the central space.
POSITION OF ESCALATOR
LOCATION OF ESCALATORS AND ELEVATORS
HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION BASEMENT
HUMAN CIRCULATION The module units are not obviously shown in the spaces at the basement, unlike the upper storeys. This lead to the absence of physical obstructions such as the columns and voids, which allows people to have more freedom to choose the route they want to walk through. This increases the chance of meeting different kinds of people, which is Hertzberger’s original intention
VEHICULAR
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION There is not much vehicular circulation as it is only a parking garage
HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION HUMAN
HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION
BASEMENT SCALE 1:1000
HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION 1ST STOREY
HUMAN CIRCULATION Similar to the basement, the module units are not obviously shown in the spaces, it is also clearly shown in the plan that there is very less partition walls. This reduces the restriction of just only using the corridor space which increases the chance of meeting different kinds of people.
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION There is more circulation on the pick-up point and the entrance as compared to other parts of the parking garage.
VEHICULAR HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION HUMAN
HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION
1ST STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION 2ND STOREY
HUMAN CIRCULATION The main circulation of the level is the corridor spaces which people use to get to their own spaces, while the more crowded area is the central street where connects the different vertical transportations and the service areas (toilet groups) together.
HUMAN HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION
2ND STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION 3RD STOREY
The terrace is the least circulated area among the whole storey, as people spend most of their time working in the office.
HUMAN CIRCULATION Similar to the second storey, the central street is where people circulate the most. However, the central street on the third storey is not as crowded as the second storey. The usable floor area on level 3 is around 729 sqm than second storey. Hence, the number of people who use the area would be lesser.
HUMAN HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION
3RD STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION - 3RD STOREY HUMAN CIRCULATION The fourth storey has the smallest office area, and is the furthest from the public area. Hence, the amount of circulation is the least out of the whole building.
The number of terraces on the fourth storey is the most. Hence, the circulation at the terrace is distributed more.
HUMAN HEAVY CIRCULATION
LIGHT CIRCULATION
4TH STOREY PLAN SCALE 1:1000
LEGEND - - - EXAMPLE OF TYPICAL CIRCULATION __ - CENTRAL STREET
CIRCULATION - CENTRAL STREET Hertzberger’s idea of the central street was successful as we can see that people usually circulate more around the central street. ZONING The first idea on how it was achieve is how Hertzberger distribute out the spaces, which is the 4 quadrants that is separated by the central street in between them. The use of central street is superior as there is no other accessibility in the 4 quadrants other than the central street. Another way he distribute the space is to place the service areas (toilet group) where it is important to everyone at the 4 ends of the central street. This also would mean that people would need to pass through the central street in order to use the area. CIRCULATION The circulation pathway on the right shows the typical circulation from the entrance all the way to the office space. The vertical circulations are connected to form a cross which is the central street, which people would need to access these transportation through the central street, then access to their office space also through the central street.
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW
LINE OF INQUIRY 6 _______________ PUBLIC VS PRIVATE
View of Terrace (Unknown, N.D.)
EXPOSURE TO OUTDOOR - BUILDING OUTLINE 90째
45째
LAYERS With the rotated form and the design of each module, it has created the opportunity of views even for the spaces that are deeper inside. The green area shows the spaces with accessible views, while the yellow lines shows how the views are accessible to the spaces.
PERIMETER The rotated form maximises the perimeter of the building. As illustrated in the diagrams, the rotated form has doubled up the perimeter as compared to the original form. 270째 180째
VIEWING ANGLE With the increase of perimeter, the view angle has also increased. People do not only look out to only one view.
EXPOSURE TO OUTDOOR MASSING UPPER STOREYS
Due to the pyramid form of the building, the 4th storey has an exposure to the outside even from the centre of the building.
Although the centre of the building has no exposure to outdoor places, but the perimeter of the 3rd storey is more than 4th storey.
The building perimeter of the storey has allowed equal amount of exposure from the 3rd and 4th storey.
ISOMETRIC EXPLODED VIEW OF 2ND STOREY TO UPPERMOST STOREY
LEGEND __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA
BASEMENT
- EXPOSURE TO OUTDOOR The carpark has a lower value and is built completely underground, openings are created mainly for the carpark to allow natural daylight and ventilation, and to make it feel less isolated
Hertzberger designed this area to be half underground such that it is not completely isolated from the outside, this has also allowed visual connection between the interior and the exterior.
PEDESTRIAN AREA
The pedestrian area is one of the most public area in the building, which is located in the center of the pedestrian tunnel that was built underground. To prevent the tunnel from being a dark and scary place, Hertzberger it brings up the desire to connect this area to the outside world. Hence, this area was being built with a full outdoor area.
OUTDOOR
INDOOR
BASEMENT SCALE 1:1000
LEGEND __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA __ - MAIN ENTRANCES __ - ADDITIONAL ENTRANCE __ - CARPARK ENTRANCE
BASEMENT
- PHYSICAL ACCESS (MULTIPLE ENTRANCES)
CARPARK ENTRANCE This entrance is mainly for vehicles to enter and is being placed near the car park entrance at level one, this increases the accessibility to outdoor in basement 1.
PEDESTRIAN AREA
PEDESTRIAN AREA 2 out of 3 entrances at the basement are placed at the pedestrian area as it connects different places together. This is such that more people from nearby places can naturally enter the building
OUTDOOR
INDOOR
BASEMENT SCALE 1:1000
LEGEND __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA __ - MAIN ENTRANCES __ - CARPARK ENTRANCE
__ - CONNECTION OF 2 ENDS --- - BICYCLE ROUTE __ - PEDESTRIAN ROUTE
1ST STOREY
- PHYSICAL ACCESS (MULTIPLE ENTRANCES) CARPARK The cars can only access through one entrance to the carpark at the terrace, but has to go through another entrance to the sheltered carpark
MAINTAIN INITIAL CONNECTIONS The diagram shows the local connections by the people. Due to the obstructions that are present earlier, locals have to access the other end through the side. Hertzberger took note of this circulation, and created entrance based on the circulation to allow a more direct route.
1ST STOREY SCALE 1:2000
1
2 4
3
QUADRANT
UPPER STOREY
- PHYSICAL ACCESS (TERRACES)
To equalise the amount of physical access to the outside world, the number of terraces increases as it goes further from the ground.
There are terraces around the level to allow ease of access from any part of the building.
There are only terraces at the side of 1st and 2nd quadrant. While on the side that is facing the southeast (4th quadrant) where the railway tracks are, there is no terraces to help to buffer the noise.
Due to the lack of physical access to the side facing the east, Hertzberger compromised by placing a large terrace at the 3rd quadrant.
ISOMETRIC EXPLODED VIEW OF 2ND STOREY TO UPPERMOST STOREY
LINE OF INQUIRY 7 _______________ FACADE
View of Facade (Centraal Beheer magazine,1973)
LEGEND __ - TECHNICAL TOWER __ - STAIRCASE
TRANSPARENCY -
TYPES OF INFILL (SERVANT SPACE) There are two main type of materials are glass and concrete, to create a contrast between the two extreme ends - transparent and opaque. This is to express the spatial idea, which is the office (served) and the service space (servant).
TECHNICAL TOWER There is no window openings at all at the technical tower which provides the services for the whole building.
STAIRCASE For the staircases which are more of a servant space, there is only a total 4 panels of window.
Isometric View of 4 Most Prominent Exterior Infill Varieties (M.V.A. Beerkens, 2018) TRANSPARENCY
0
SERVANT
LEGEND __ - RESTAURANT __ - OFFICE
TRANSPARENCY -
TYPES OF INFILL (THE SERVED)
PUBLIC SPACE (RESTAURANT) For served spaces like restaurant at the third quadrant (facing the east) have 8 panels window on the 2 sides of the 3.0m by 3.0m modules.
OFFICE UNITS For typical working units which are the served space, have a total of 8 panels of windows which covers the sides of the 3.0m by 3.0m units. This makes the area to be defined as the most transparent.
Isometric View of 4 Most Prominent Exterior Infill Varieties (M.V.A. Beerkens, 2018) From the diagrams above that shows different facade designs based on the types of spaces, we can see that the ratio of transparency to the opaqueness it closely related on the types of uses which is shown below.
100
SERVED
LEGEND __ - TECHNICAL TOWER __ - STAIRCASE __ - RESTAURANT __ - OFFICE
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF THE TYPES OF EXTERIOR INFILLS
LEGEND
INSIDE-OUT - MODULE UNIT
__ - LOCATION OF CORNER WINDOW --- - VISUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN CORNER WINDOWS
MAINTAINING INTERNAL SPATIAL IDEA Hertzberger did not pay a lot of attention on the architectural expression of the facade as his design intent is mainly based on the spatial ideas of the interior spaces which is the openness. The way the external facade was designed is derived from the original design of the module unit. In order to keep his original intention of the design of the module, the design of the facade should be more open. However, the facade of the building is usually served as the boundary between the interior and the exterior. Hence, there is a need to blur this boundary, Hertzberger used a curtain wall.
CORNER WINDOW Other than having bridges and voids to allow horizontal and vertical connection between people, corner window is used to allow visual connection between the units.
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW OF THE MODULE
PLAN SHOWING VISUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN UNITS
The diagram below shows the plan of the typical building edge showing the location of the corner window, and how it helps to visually connect the different units together. This is shown in the picture on the right of the view of another unit from a unit.
VIEW TOWARDS OTHER UNITS
LEGEND __ - OFFICE __ - CORRIDOR
INSIDE OUT - MODULE UNIT DEFINING SPACE As it was mentioned that Hertzberger designed the building to be inside-out, the facade design was also derived from the qualities of the interior. A
A MODULE PLAN
SPATIAL QUALITY The concrete brick wall shows the corridor space, while the glass curtain wall shows the office space.
ELEVATION
CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE The precast concrete shows the structural elements of the building which emphasized on the horizontal separation of the floors. The steel frame of the glass curtain wall then balanced it out by emphasizing on the vertical impression of the building. ELEVATION
INSIDE OUT - MODULE UNIT DEFINING SPACE
PARAPET WALLS FOR ROOF TERRACES It flushes up smoothly along with the curtain wall.
SINGLE SHEET GLASS CURTAIN WALL WITH STEEL FRAME that allows view. The window is cantilevered out, which makes it feels like it is an additional part of the module, as the only movement made was to add a window to the module.
PARAPET BRICK WALLS The diagram on the right shows that the 1.0m parapet walls from the columns are kept to 0.8m in height. PARAPET BRICK WALLS The height of the parapet wall corners are only 0.21m. The aim of this design is to feel less obstructed and separated from its surroundings.
PART SECTION A-A SCALE 1:20
CONCLUSION
With the driving factors like the society back and the site and surroundings, Hertzberger wanted to create a “city� in the building as he envisioned a community workspace. To do so, he focused his design with the spatial idea of the social and individual, as well as connecting to the city
LEGEND __ - CITY CENTER __ - STATION __ - CENTRAL STREET __ - PEDESTRIAN AREA
--- - PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL --- - CIRCULATION FROM OTHER PLACES THROUGH PEDESTRIAN AREA --- - CIRCULATION FROM STATION
CONNECTION TO SURROUNDINGS Due to the function of the building, privacy has to be kept by blocking out the connections. Hence, the building is being isolated and is never the same as what Hertzberger had imagined the building to be. As all the vertical transportations are all located on the central street, this would mean that anyone who access the central street will be able to access to the upper level which needs to be kept private. Hence, the pedestrian area is not being made.
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW SHOWING CONNECTION TO STATION AND CITY
LEGEND __ - TOILET GROUPS/STAIRCASES __ - ACTUAL CIRCULATION __ - EXPECTED CIRCULATION
SOCIAL INTERACTION CIRCULATION Hertzberger’s original idea of the corridor space is to allow conversations to happen between people when they happen to meet each other. However, as we can see that the circulation on almost all levels near the central street are heavier, while the sides are more deserted and least circulated. This means that there will be less social interaction for individuals with office space that is located further away from the central street. BUILDING PLAN SHOWING TYPICAL CIRCULATION
CENTRAL STREET Staircases and toilet groups are located at the 4 ends of the central street to increase the chances of people to use the central street so that there will be more social interaction. However, people can just pass by the corridor space without using the central street to get to the toilet groups and staircases. BUILDING PLAN SHOWING CONNECTION TO TOILET GROUPS AND STAIRCASES
PROGRAMMATIC DISTRIBUTION Furthermore, for each office quadrant, they will only use 2 toilet groups that marks the boundary of the quadrant, while the other 2 will not be used. This means that in each of the quadrant, the chances of them meeting people from the opposite quadrants are very rare. Hence, the idea of central streets on 2nd storey to 4th storey might not be successful. BUILDING PLAN SHOWING CONNECTION TO TOILET GROUPS
LEGEND __ - PRIVATE __ - PUBLIC
SOCIAL INTERACTION
VOIDS The idea that the office is an insurance company was neglected, as there is not much privacy in the building. There are many things being dealt on phone, where conversations should be kept confidential. Even though there are spaces for social and individual, but the voids and absence of partition walls has made spaces across the levels to be very open. Even central streets where anyone can access could hear the conversations from levels above.
SECTION SHOWING INTERACTION BETWEEN PEOPLE ACROSS DIFFERENT LEVELS
OFFICE There might not be any conversations in the corridor especially when there are more than one desk in an office unit, they can just talk among themselves within the unit.
TYPES OF OFFICE LAYOUT
Note: All informations are not 100% accurate, all are based on own assumptions, observations, and research.