Temporary Court, Amsterdam

Temporary building for the Amsterdam court, which is being renovated on a large scale. Client Rijksvastgoedbedrijf (RVB) has put a lot of effort into waste prevention and maximizing the residual value after the initial usage period. The build has therefore been put out to tender on the basis of a Design, Build, Maintain & Remove (DBMR) contract, in which the removal and reuse are laid down.

The building is easily adaptable and will allows the possibility of different use by different residents at different locations. It is designed as a kit of parts and is just as easy to assemble as to disassemble and remount. However, the temporary nature in no way detracts from the quality, functionality or representativeness. Matters such as the equipment, the complex logistics, the acoustics, the comfort, the safety and the appearance have the same level as in a permanent court facility. The project won the Amsterdam Architecture Prize 2017. The jury particularly praised the innovativeness in technical, typological and process-related areas.

Rethink

The most important rethink component is the contract form within which the building was created; this not only specifies the design, construction and maintenance, but also the disposal and reuse. The requirements and practical issues this entails have been translated into a fully demountable, modular design that has been achieved with a minimum of material use. For essential parts such as hollow core slab floors, which are normally not reusable, a lot of thought has been given to how to make them properly reusable. For air exchange in the halls, BaOpt was used, which, for example, minimizes the need for ducts.

Reuse

The cell doors of the detention quarters have been reused and thus given a new life. Some of the furniture comes from elsewhere in the court complex and is also reused. The building is completely demountable with a kit of parts. After initial use, all parts can be used in a new setting: in the same or different configuration at a different location or as parts within another project. For example, the cells are completely prefabricated and can easily be placed elsewhere, while the façade finish is made of a lightweight roll-up cloth. Even the hollow core slab floors are easy to disconnect and reuse.