Mecanoo in Nijmegen
01 May 2006
The exhibition ‘Mecanoo in Nijmegen’ can be seen in the Architecture Centre in Nijmegen from 17 March to 30 April. The exhibition gives attention to two special projects that are currently being carried out in Nijmegen: FiftyTwoDegrees & St. Josephhof. The exhibition will be opened on Tuesday 14 March at 17.30 by Ron Lubbers from ICE Development and Francine Houben from Mecanoo architects.
FiftyTwoDegrees is a new knowledge centre for Philips Semiconductors that is being built above Neerbosscheweg. This 86 metres high multi-functional complex is the highest building in Nijmegen. The knowledge centre is part of a large-scale master plan in the area of Neerbosscheweg with offices, retail shops, hotel and catering, places of entertainment, parking facilities and a new road network. In the future a light rail system will connect the area with the Nijmegen railway station. FiftyTwoDegrees will be delivered in October. The exhibition shows pictures of the building, scale-models and artist impressions of both interior and exterior.
In the town centre of Nijmegen St. Josephhof will be transformed into the Hof van Heden. A scale-model and artist impressions illustrate 98 houses around the courtyard, partly courtyard houses with a garden and partly apartments. Three communal gardens lie along the edges of the courtyard. In the centre there is a courtyard accessible to the public. The foundation work has already been started. This resulted in a spectacular archaeological discovery, the remains of a Roman building from approximately 40 AD. Glass viewing holes in the moving walkway to the car park will later provide a view of the archaeological finds.
Mecanoo architects, led by architect and director Francine Houben, design complex, multi-functional buildings and integral town developments. Mecanoo projects are characterized by an integral approach, whereby architecture, town and country planning, landscape architecture and interior design are combined. Well-known Mecanoo projects are Montevideo in Rotterdam, the library for the Delft University of Technology and the Netherlands Open-air Museum in Arnhem. Last year Mecanoo won the competition for the La Llotja theatre and congress centre in Lleida, Spain, for which the construction work starts this year.
Architecture Centre Nijmegen
Kannenmarkt 6 (behind the Grote Markt, de Waag)
17 March to 30 April
Opening hours: Friday to Sunday 13.00 – 17.00
