MVRDV, together with the architecture studios Orange Architects and LOLA Landscape Architects, have designed a new innovation district, which transforms an old business park next to the train station in the Dutch city of Zwolle. The project will include housing, educational institutions, workspaces for creative industries, restaurants and a range of neighborhood facilities.

The centerpiece of the project will be the converted former factory and warehouse of the Wärtsilä hall, with its characteristic undulating roof topped by a driftwood apartment block. Hence the name dedicated to the project, WärtZ, which is a representation of the words wild, art, raw, technology and Zwolle. Construction of the plan will be developed in phases with the intention of starting in 2025.
Wärtz by MVRDV is planned for the developer of the AM zone, the plan arises from the municipality of Zwolle's development framework for the station zone, which sets out high ambitions in the areas of energy, mobility, circularity and climate, as well as development principles described by the Dutch railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). With a total area of 9.5 hectares, WärtZ comprises three distinct areas, to the east, near the station, is Spoorpark; to the west is Lurelei, with buildings designed by Orange Architects; and in the center is the Werkplaatsen, with buildings designed by MVRDV.

At the center of the district is the Wärtsilä warehouse, a factory and warehouse originally designed by Gert Grosfeld in 1998. Standing out as the largest building in the master plan, its undulating roof will become a visual marker of the area; It will provide an element of continuity while transforming the character of everything under, around and even above this roof. MVRDV's design will allow the hall to host innovative start-ups and creative enterprises, as well as educational and research institutions.


Display. WärtZ by MVRDV.

Above the roof, a driftwood apartment block will form a dramatic addition to the building, solidifying the Wärtsilä hall as the anchor of the new district. This communicates the district's ambition to provide a counterpoint to Zwolle's historic city centre, with the striking apartment block reflecting the unconventional extension of the Museum De Fundatie rooftop. This relationship is further reinforced by the addition on the roof of the Dikke Vette Gouden Vredesduif (Great Golden Dove of Peace), a statue of Mars Röling. The artist produced three originals of this artwork in 2002; After years in the dark, one of them is being returned to a public place to observe its double, which since 2010 has occupied the roof of the museum 500 meters away.

In addition to the Wärtsilä hall, MVRDV's contribution to the plan includes three mixed-use buildings, with offices on the lower levels and housing on the upper ones. Clad in brick, these structures refer to the ceiling of the room with the curved lines that cover the windows on the ground floor. These, along with the Orange-designed residential buildings at Lurelei, sit within the green landscape designed by LOLA Landscape Architects. In this project, parts of the public space are returned to nature, in accordance with the principles of urban reconstruction.

Taking advantage of its proximity to Zwolle station, WärtZ prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, with attractive slow-traffic routes, multifunctional car and bicycle parking centers, a wide range of shared transport and a Bicycle Innovation Center . . The plan fits with the ambitions of NS and the municipality of Zwolle for a healthy, car-free neighborhood.

Display. WärtZ by MVRDV.

“I think it is fantastic to breathe new life into this industrial area for AM, together with Orange Architects and LOLA Landscape Architects.

MVRDV already has a number of transformations to its name, from our Roskilde Rock Campus to Tripolis Park in Amsterdam. This provided a lot of insight into how we can reuse existing buildings in the most sustainable way possible. “The Wärtsilä hall, with the new wooden residential building on top, is a good example of reuse and sustainable densification in the city.”
Jacob van Rijs, founding partner of MVRDV.


Display. WärtZ by MVRDV.
 
«I consider WärtZ as the daring brother of the historic city center.

The combination of housing typologies, education, facilities and functions guarantees a solid social fabric and opportunities for all. Entrepreneurs, educational institutions, the Spoorzone Innovation District Zwolle foundation and new initiatives from Zwolle were involved in the planning process from the beginning. “Therefore, we ensure that the intended innovative ecosystem takes off and comes to life immediately.”
Doeschka Bos, Development Director at AM.

WärtZ therefore has the ambition not only to create a vibrant “second city center” on the south side of the station, but also to become an example for the entire Netherlands. From the goal of providing Zwolle with the greenest city center station area in the Netherlands, through the emphasis on circular and low-carbon strategies, such as the reuse of buildings and bio-based materials, to the introduction of sustainable mobility, WärtZ will be a standard-bearer for such “station zones” throughout the country.

More information

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Architects
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Project team
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Founding Partner in charge.- Jacob van Rijs.
Partner/Director.- Frans de Witte.
Design Team.- Fedor bron, Mick van Gemert, Karin Houwen, Daniele Zonta, Anna Brockhoff, Nick Boer, Gabriel Perucchi, Roos van den Toorn.
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Collaborators
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Architects (Lurelei zone.- Orange Architects.
Landscape architect.- LOLA landscape architects.
Structural engineer.- Pieters Bouwtechniek MEP / Building Physics.- DGMR.
Cost calculation: Skaal.
Programming.- Skonk.
Others advisors & partners: RHDHV, Mobycon, Kickstad, Skonk, Tenman, De Stadstuin, Stepforward, Kwirkey, ’tIdee!.
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Client
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AM.
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Area
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120,000 sqm masterplan (residential, office, retail, education); of which buildings designed by MVRDV comprise 60,000 sqm.
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Dates
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Year.- 2023–
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Location
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Zwolle, the Netherlands.
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MVRDV was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The practice engages globally in providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues. A highly collaborative, research-based design method involves clients, stakeholders and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process. The results are exemplary, outspoken projects, which enable our cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future.

The products of MVRDV’s unique approach to design vary, ranging from buildings of all types and sizes, to urban plans and visions, numerous publications, installations and exhibitions. Built projects include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover; the Market Hall, a combination of housing and retail in Rotterdam; the Pushed Slab, a sustainable office building in Paris’ first eco-district; Flight Forum, an innovative business park in Eindhoven; the Silodam Housing complex in Amsterdam; the Matsudai Cultural Centre in Japan; the Unterföhring office campus near Munich; the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam; the Ypenburg housing and urban plan in The Hague; the Didden Village rooftop housing extension in Rotterdam; the music centre De Effenaar in Eindhoven; the Gyre boutique shopping center in Tokyo; a public library in Spijkenisse; an international bank headquarters in Oslo, Norway; and the iconic Mirador and Celosia housing in Madrid.

Current projects include a variety of housing projects in the Netherlands, France, China, India, and other countries; a community centre in Copenhagen and a cultural complex in Roskilde, Denmark, a public art depot in Rotterdam, the transformation of a mixed use building in central Paris, an office complex in Shanghai, and a commercial centre in Beijing, and the renovation of an office building in Hong Kong. MVRDV is also working on large scale urban masterplans in Bordeaux and Caen, France and the masterplan for an eco-city in Logroño, Spain. Larger scale visions for the future of greater Paris, greater Oslo, and the doubling in size of the Dutch new town Almere are also in development.

MVRDV first published a manifesto of its work and ideas in FARMAX (1998), followed by MetaCity/Datatown (1999), Costa Iberica (2000), Regionmaker (2002), 5 Minutes City (2003), KM3 (2005), Spacefighter (2007) and Skycar City (2007), and more recently The Vertical Village (with The Why Factory, 2012) and the firm’s first monograph of built works MVRDV Buildings (2013). MVRDV deals with issues ranging from global sustainability in large scale studies such as Pig City, to small, pragmatic architectural solutions for devastated areas such as New Orleans.

The work of MVRDV is exhibited and published worldwide and has received numerous international awards. One hundred architects, designers and urbanists develop projects in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative design process which involves rigorous technical and creative investigation. MVRDV works with BIM and has official in-house BREEAM and LEED assessors.

Together with Delft University of Technology, MVRDV runs The Why Factory, an independent think tank and research institute providing an agenda for architecture and urbanism by envisioning the city of the future.

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