A gap in the market
Towards circular heritage V&D buildings
N. Buchner (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
W.L.E.C. Meijers – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Design)
FWA Koopman – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Technology)
H Zijlstra – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Design)
Peter de Jong – Coach (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)
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Abstract
This gradation project deals
with the adaptive re-use of the vacant heritage V&D department store in Leiden. Both
the story of the downfall of the V&D and the vacancy of these department
stores illustrate a larger problem in the building industry. Because needs and
desires in society change rapidly and that is why buildings will become
irrelevant or vacant after some time. The result is often demolition of vacant
buildings, a pile of waste and the loss of finite materials. Several V&Ds
in other cities have already been demolished and made place for new buildings,
contributing to the enormous yearly creation of waste in the building sector.
A sustainable alternative to build
in an ever changing society and achieve an optimal use of building materials, the
circular economy is gaining momentum in both research and design. The Dutch
government set the goal to become circular in the Netherlands by 2050, including
the building sector. The main focus of circularity in the building sector is
on: reduce dependency of raw materials, minimize waste and design for
adaptability. But there lies a challenge in applying circularity to existing
buildings with monumental values, because you have to deal with a complex
existing building.
This graduation project is
focused on applying principles of the circular economy on the heritage V&D
building in Leiden. The redesign researches the possibilities to activate and increase the circular potential of this building with
heritage value. In the redesign the former V&D building is transformed into
a circular innovation centre where recreational, educational and innovative
functions meet and work together on the transition towards the circular economy.
The title ‘a gap in the market’
refers in the first place to the economic importance of the site in the city of
Leiden throughout history, because of its function as central marketplace. The vacancy of the V&D building creates literally a gap in the heart
of the city of Leiden. But with the new function as a circular innovation center, this
building can facilitate the next gap in the market.