Rijkswaterstaat Westraven

Utrecht

This project is a renovation and replaced Rijkskantoren Westraven

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    Metrics
Height 85.1 m / 279 ft
Floors 23
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Rijkswaterstaat Westraven

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

2008

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Netherlands

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Utrecht

Address

Griffioenlaan 2

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Office

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

85.1 m / 279 ft

Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

23

Rankings

#
122
Tallest in Netherlands
#
8
Tallest in Utrecht
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Sealants
Owner/Developer
Government Building Agency
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

cepezed architects
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Sealants

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building, by Region, Europe 2009 Award of Excellence

2009 CTBUH Awards

 

Research

01 November 2010

Greening Modernism: Westraven Tower

Jeroen Hendriks, Cepezed Architects

The Westraven Office Complex in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is a combination of a renovated existing building and a new extension for the use of several...

 

About Rijkswaterstaat Westraven

Westraven is a complex and large-scale combination of an existing building (originally completed in 1977) and new construction for various sections of the Department of Public Works, situated in the Westraven area between the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and the junction of the A2 and A12 motorways at Utrecht. The program consists of office space, conference facilities, a national meeting center, a communications center, and the Future Center for the Department of Public Works. More than 2,000 people are employed at Westraven.

The existing high rise construction has been completely renovated and reorganized. An elongated four-story building has also been added at the foot of the building, alongside the canal. Façades employing both glass and voids give a strong impulse to the spatial experience of the high rise block, which was rather limited in the original architecture.

Atria, conservatories and inner gardens also stimulate spatial awareness in the transparently constructed new low-rise building, and are important for the orientation of both staff and visitors. The steel construction of the enlargement is entirely made of prefabricated components and assembled in dry fashion on the site. It demonstrates refined detailing and interweaves the conservatories, office wings and atria.

The various functions of high and low rise are combined at the foot of the tower in large, open spaces with inner gardens that invite both a rendezvous and casual encounters. Many of the working areas have been designed as flexible workstations, so that it is possible to work at various places in the building. The typological arrangement guarantees that as many people as possible have a view over the canal and the rural area beyond it.

Much attention has been devoted to realizing perfect equilibrium between low-energy consumption and an optimum working climate. For this purpose, an ingenious climate concept has been developed which makes use of thermally active floors amongst other factors. Various types of space have been climatized differently according to their use, the heat from air flows is recovered at several points and the artificial lighting adapts itself automatically to the color and intensity of the incidence of daylight.

To minimize both visual obstructions and the use of material, the architectural, stability, MEP and construction designs were fully integrated, resulting in amazingly slender material dimensions. For example, the floors have a height of only 30cm (11.8in) and contain all ducts, pipes and cables for installations, data, sprinklers etc. Furthermore, the introduction of an innovative second-skin façade of open-weave, teflon-coated glass fiber offers the high rise block all-round protection against the wind and makes it possible to work with open windows, even on the upper floors. As a result, staff enjoy great freedom in regulating their own interior climate.

The interior is flexiwork-oriented such that the floor plans have varying scale levels and degrees of privacy: ranging from open-plan offices to meeting rooms, conference rooms and a large multifunctional hall, to special silent cellular accommodation. In the atria between the office wings in the new-construction section, various lounges have been laid out with low chairs and tables and abundant greenery.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building, by Region, Europe 2009 Award of Excellence

2009 CTBUH Awards