Between use and abandonment - Reassembling architectural continuity
Adaptive reuse of the Sijthoff building, Rijswijk
I. Petrou (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
C.H.J. de Vries – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
B. Lubelli – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
L.G.K. Spoormans – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
This thesis investigates how adaptive reuse can establish architectural continuity in post-1965 concrete office buildings. Using the Sijthoff Building in Rijswijk, widely known as the “Eierdoos,” as a case study, it addresses the contested status of late-modern concrete architecture, which is often regarded as obsolete and therefore vulnerable to demolition. Through a combined analysis of perception, material condition, and spatial typology, the building is understood as part of a continuous process in which past identity, present conditions of vacancy, and future potential, coexist.
Vacancy is interpreted not as failure, but as a transitional state that reveals latent architectural, cultural, and urban capacities. Based on this, a reuse strategy is developed through three interrelated dimensions: urban, material, and spatial continuity. Urban continuity is established by reconnecting the building to the public realm through greater accessibility, permeability, and programmatic activation. Material continuity is achieved through the reinterpretation, damage analysis, repair, reuse, and recycling of the existing prefabricated façade system, transforming the building’s own materials and elements into an internal circular system in which components are disassembled, restored, and reassembled into new architectural configurations. Spatial continuity is pursued through the reconfiguration of the interior by introducing voids, clarifying circulation and movement, and creating flexible and sustainable spaces that follow both function and form.
The proposal demonstrates how a vacant, mono-functional office building can become an active urban actor while preserving and transforming its architectural identity.
Ultimately, the project positions adaptive reuse as a process of continuity, arguing that post-war concrete buildings should be understood not as expendable relics, but as integral components of the contemporary city capable of accommodating change over time.