Industrial heritage

A new district was created in the urban area of ​​Utrecht, on the site of the former Royal Dutch Factory for Machinery and Rail Equipment. This is where industrial history and modern quality of life come together. Industrial halls, sections of track, buffer blocks and switches form the theme for Wisselspoor. On field 10 of Wisselspoor, Arons & Gelauff Architects have created a robust design for a residential building. Metadecor took care of the corten look façades of this building.

Architecture

The choices made in materials, shapes and colours refer to both the context and the history of the site. The characteristic sawtooth roofs of the industrial architecture of the former carriage factory are reflected in the balconies and bay windows, which are clad with rust-coloured aluminum MD Expanded Metal. The use of these colours and textures gives the residential building a layering that fits in with the surroundings and the existing structures.

The residential towers have a metal skin, which consists of MD Expanded Metal panels with varying mesh widths. Behind this is the rain and fire resistant layer. We have had extensive consultations with Arons & Gelauff Architects about the optimal construction, in which nest boxes have also been given a place.

The building consists of two residential towers. The residential tower for students is ten floors high; the one for starters has seven floors and has a patio from the first floor to the glass ceiling at the top. A two-story gate forms the entrance to all the apartments: the space below is an inner courtyard, with a large glass wall and an MD Expanded Metal ceiling to the two portals on either side.

Integral building shell

Metadecor provided the façades of this project with MD Expanded Metal, consisting of two different patterns: MD Esperia and MD Esedra. The panels are made of aluminum and provided with a two-layer powder coating in the colour of CorTen (DC 08M). The panels are attached to the structural construction using the MD Verti system. Metadecor produces prefabricated frames for the balconies on which the MD Expanded Metal is applied. The MD Expanded Metal panels are folded on large parts of the façade, which creates relief in the façade, even at greater distances. The layering in the façade is visible at different scale levels.

Metadecor realised an integral system for the residential building Veld 10 in Utrecht. Closed parts are fitted with MD Flack panels, and around the windows there are reveals in the same colour and materials. The water-resistant foil, with fire class B2, consists of UV-resistant façade foil. The façade insulation includes thermal insulation of mineral wool and framework.

Metadecor has been involved with Arons & Gelauff Architects and contractor Van Wijnen Utrecht B.V. from the design stage. The engineering and project management have been involved from the start of the process, and together we worked on a striking architecture with the quality you can expect from us, both in the process and in the end product!