Arresthouse, Roermond

Historical awareness radiates from the interventions in the nineteenth-century cell block. Engelman Architects has retained the exciting structure by restoring the cast-iron galleries and preserving the thick walls and heavy cell doors. The prison atmosphere is also perceptible in the hotel rooms. Three cells are linked together by passages to create a room in which all mod cons fit. The thick walls have been carved out to create wardrobe space and windows and the original prison bars have been put back.

Next to the hotel, the architects have added a block of care homes, which is of splendid dimensions, restrained in material application and connected to the building line by means of a concrete gate. In this way, the logic of the historical urban fabric remains recognizable.

Best Building of the Year 2012