The Raakspoort complex (Dutch for "Rax Gate") marks the entrance to the new Rax development area in the historic city center; he simultaneously closes the inner part of the block from the noise of cars and invites pedestrians to enter (the building is cut through by a wide "corridor").
The composition of the building consists of a series of volumes so that, like the rest of Rax's buildings, it is combined with the small-scale development of the center. This is especially important as the Raakspoort blends in with a line of historic houses along the border of the old town.
The facades of the building are faced with bricks of different shades: the darker sections are stacked in rows overhanging each other, the lighter masonry is smooth, with wide stripes of creamy plaster. This technique also made it possible to visually divide the complex into smaller parts (despite the fact that its total area is 18.5 thousand m2).
Raakspoort was originally to include a cinema and a casino; in the process of consultations with customers, these institutions changed places: cinemas under the playing halls, and vice versa. They were united by a more than indifferent attitude towards windows: neither of them needed them, although the architects did not like the monolithic walls.
Fortunately, it was decided to remove the casino and the city authorities took its place. The brick facades and the clock tower were their initiative: for the Haarlem mayor, the ideal was
the town hall of Hilversum from the 1930s by Willem Dudok.
On the side of the cinema, on the site of Raakspoort, there was a 19th century building: no matter how the architects tried to preserve it, it turned out to be impossible to reconcile it with the function of the multiplex. Therefore, Bolles + Wilson followed the method of Carlo Scarpa, who restored the image of the lost medieval monuments in this way. The architects have preserved important details of the historical façade (reliefs and statues, ornate portal, etc.) and placed them on the new building as a reminder of the past.
The interiors of the city halls were designed by Döll architecten; they include a two-story main hall with staff desks, consulting rooms and “self-service points”; above are the offices of the three city departments, where traditional offices exist in a common space with free-plan workplaces and meeting rooms. The source of inspiration for the creation of the interior was a painting by a Dutch artist of the 17th century. Judith Leyster
"The Cheerful Drunkard"; an enlarged reproduction of it is displayed in the main hall.
N. F.
