The monument and former expedition building of the old Wybertjes factory is located on the Larenseweg in Hilversum. The manufacturer of the diamond-shaped pastilles, who moved to Almere in 1981, left behind a monumental factory building. In close consultation with the client and the municipality, we restored the building and turned it into an office building, while retaining its monumental character and with an energy label A.

In the urban planning request, a single volume was drawn next to the monument. It is our ambition to create an attractive living environment with room for social interaction. By creating a courtyard enclosed by three new buildings and the monument, a friendly garden is created where residents and office workers meet.

The starting point for the architecture is the character of the monument. The four buildings are different from each other, but also related to each other. A street building with a monumental face. A court building with a grid of outdoor spaces. A garden building with high windows. They are angular buildings in an orange/red color, each with its own rhythm of sturdy windows.

There are wybert-shaped masonry motifs in the monument. Together with the Vogelensangh brick factory, we have developed a brick in the form of the wybertjes pastille. The simple volumes and the calm rhythm of the windows create a powerful architecture as walls of an attractive courtyard where living, working and meeting come together.

Client: Eliza real estate

Project: Restoration of a monumental dispatch building into offices and 50 apartments

Location: Larenseweg, Hilversum

Schedule; Design 2020-2024, build 2021-ongoing