The ‘rijksmonument’ Nedinsco is one of the most popular buildings of the city of Venlo. The former Zeissfactory for lenses and periscopes was built in the 1920ies by the German architect Hans Schlag. Since the 1990ies the building is unused and its beauty is constantly declining. Since in 2009 there was still no investor actually taking care of the Nedinsco and at the same time, the planned concert hall for Venlo (including a theatre, a café, and different studios for rehearsal purposes) was cut down due to the crisis- we thought of combining these two problematic issues and solving both with much less money that originally planned.
The outer shell of the Nedinsco is already a diamond which can be used to cover the new cultural functions inside the former structure. The old ceilings are removed and the gigantic inner space is filled with new, fully insulated metal boxes. The space between outer shell and inner boxes forms a public area where people can meet and further cultural events can take place. This space includes an elevator to the roof top of the old Nedinsco where a new café is placed. From here a great view of the city of Venlo and the river Maas is possible.
