Building As The Internet

2024 Author: David Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 00:52

The city of Gronigen was badly damaged by the bombing of the Second World War, so in its center valuable historical buildings were adjacent to the not always successful post-war ones, and the layout was changed. At the turn of the XX-XXI centuries, the municipality was especially concerned about the main square - the Grote Markt: to the east of it, the buildings were dilapidated, there was even a vacant lot. As a result, it was decided to demolish the parking lot located there, return the old red line (after the war it was pushed back 18 meters), and build a cultural and social center in the vacant place. In 2007, his architectural projects were put up for a city vote, which was won by NL Architects - and their rivals were Zaha Hadid, Eric van Egeraat, UNStudio and other prominent authors (we wrote about this in detail here).

As a result, a 10-level structure of 17,000 m2 with two new areas side by side has emerged on a complex plot among old and new buildings in the historic center of Gronigen. Under one of them, the Nieuwe Markt, there is a parking lot for 1200 bicycles, and the project also includes an underground garage for 380 cars. Forum Groningen itself is also a kind of public space, there are a lot of various zones available to everyone, and it is open seven days a week.

Forum Groningen Фото: NL Architects&ABT © Marcel van der Burg

A tribute to the surroundings - cladding the facade with Bavarian stone: Wachenzel dolomite. However, the neighboring town hall and the high tower of St. Martin's Church are faced with a different rock - typical for the Netherlands Bentheim sandstone, which is mined in the border German county, but it was decided not to use it due to the harmful processing process.

On the facades, stone is combined with extensive transparent surfaces that mark the location of the atrium. Three-layer glazing reliably protects the interior from the heat of the sun: only 30% penetrates inside, but this amount is captured at the top of the atrium and sent to the storage; in winter this heat is used to heat the premises.

Image

zooming

1/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Deon Prins
zooming

2/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

3/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Deon Prins
zooming

4/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Deon Prins
zooming

5/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

6/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Deon Prins
zooming

7/7 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg

The integral volume of the building and its main space - the high atrium, crossed by many staircases and passages, emphasize the unity of all parts of the Forum. It is dedicated to different occupations and areas of knowledge that have defined the program. The three main themes are current events and society, technology and visual popular culture.

Departments of the city library, the media museum Storyworld ("World of stories": comics, cartoons, video games), five cinemas, two exhibition halls, a multifunctional space with a flat floor, SmartLab and MediaLab laboratories, dozens of areas for communication, reading and study are arranged according to themes rather than its own typology. In general, the building, as conceived by the authors, serves as a kind of Internet browser or "Wikipedia": you can wander around and always find much more than originally planned. At the very top, at a height of 45 m, there is an observation platform; just below there is a rooftop terrace with a cafe and grandstand steps, so concerts or performances can be held there.

Image

zooming

1/4 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

2/4 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

3/4 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

4/4 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg

The authors of the project were especially proud of the Forum's BIM model, the largest at that time in Dutch practice, and also so beautiful that the drawings were even acquired by a collector of architectural graphics.

zooming

1/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

2/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

3/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

4/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

5/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

6/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

7/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects
zooming

8/8 Forum Groningen. BIM Model Courtesy of NL Architects

Image

zooming

1/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

2/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

3/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

4/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

5/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

6/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

7/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

8/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

9/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

10/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

11/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

12/12 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg

Image

zooming

1/3 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

2/3 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg
zooming

3/3 Forum Groningen Photo: NL Architects & ABT © Marcel van der Burg