Rotterdam’s Van Lennepstraat has undergone a major metamorphosis. On the street side, the original expressive character of the 1920s facades has been restored. The out-dated rear facade has made way for a playful design with three designs of Rockpanel Woods facade panels. With this renovation, not only the street but the entire neighbourhood has received a major facelift.
The homes on Van Lennepstraat were in need of a major overhaul, both inside and out. This large-scale renovation was also an opportunity for the owner Woonstad to make the homes more sustainable, and give the street and surrounding homes a facelift.
Architects Freek Draisma and Ad van Eijck from d|ve architecten were responsible for the new design. “Van Lennepstraat was built in the 1920s in a style reminiscent of the Amsterdam School,” says Van Eijck. “A lot of brick and decorations in the facades. However, during a renovation in 1987, the characteristic steep roofs were replaced with box roofs, sash windows were replaced with plastic frames, and the beautiful 1920s front doors were also replaced. In addition, the entire rear facade was straightened up and fitted with monotonous asbestos-containing cladding. As a result, the houses, and with them the entire street, lost much of their charm.”
Original elements reinstated
The quality of life in the neighbourhood has improved by leaps and bounds after renovating the front and back of the houses. Van Eijck: “On the street side, we breathed new life into the playful, expressive character of the block with elements of the original facade. For example, the box roofs were covered with zinc-coloured cladding, a reference to the original pitched roof. We reinstated some of the facade elements that were lost, including a beautiful masonry feature wall.”
Playful pattern of three Rockpanel Woods designs
From the beginning, it was clear that the rear facade was the biggest challenge at Van Lennepstraat. Van Eijck: “The original extensions were smoothed out in the 1980s with wood frame construction elements and clad with flat, asbestos-containing cladding. As a result, the facade lost its playfulness and plasticity.”
In close consultation with the client, the architects decided to fill the rear facade with extra insulation, and to give it a new look with a special pattern of three lively shades of brown combined with white panels for the reveals and recessed sections. They chose Rockpanel Woods facade boards in the colours Mahogany, Cherry and Merbau, and drew up a pattern according to the Fibonacci sequence. Van Eijck: “The panels have three different widths: a narrow panel, a panel twice as wide, and a third panel as wide as the first two together. The panels also vary in height. In combination with white Rockpanel boards for the recessed parts, such as balconies, the plasticity of the facade is lifted out, creating the modern, playful rear facade that this location demands.”
Environmentally friendly and easy to maintain
Sustainability was the main reason behind the choice of Rockpanel, says Robin Hassankhan. He is a project manager at the contractor for the project, Willems Vastgoedonderhoud. “When you talk about the environmental impact, I don’t really know any alternative. Rockpanel is made of a natural product, compressed mineral wool derived from basalt, and is circular. Rockpanel also has an edge in terms of sustainability. We work exclusively in the renovation market, and in many projects we also take over the maintenance. Over the years, we’ve found that it reduces maintenance and costs are lower than with other cladding materials. That’s an advantage for us as a maintenance company, and for clients too, of course.”
“Aside from that, the versatility of Rockpanel is a real bonus,” says Hassankhan. “We use it for cladding, but we can just as easily use it to build roof trim, or to make frames to draw in window frames.”
Easy to handle
The existing asbestos panels were removed from the facade. BSK then insulated both inside and on top of the existing wood frame construction elements with ROCKWOOL insulation. Rockpanel Woods facade panels were fixed with screws. Director Pieter Vroegop: “I first came into contact with Rockpanel in the 1990s, and have been a fan ever since. The material is easy to handle, and you don’t need any special tools to modify it on the building site. Because of the complex pattern, we spent quite a bit of time on this project cutting to size and logically numbering the different colours and dimensions. However, once at the construction site, assembly was a piece of cake. This was a challenging and fun contract, and the end result is a project to be proud of.”
Upgrade for the whole district
The homes on Van Lennepstraat have since all been renovated. All those involved say they are very proud of the work they have done. Architect van Eijck is particularly satisfied with the rear facade: “A limited intervention, namely replacing the cladding, makes a world of difference to the quality of life of residents of Van Lennepstraat, and indeed the entire neighbourhood. The playful pattern of facades with Rockpanel Woods combined with the white Rockpanel cladding of the recessed areas takes the interior area to a whole new level.”
