De Meelfabriek Leiden

Windesheim Zwolle

Project idea

The project is a graduation project from two students at the Hoge school Windesheim in Zwolle, The Netherlands. The project is located in Leiden and the architect that is currently working on the project is Studio Akkerhuis. We are only working on one of the buildings on the meelfabriek area that is called ''het Meelpakhuis''.

The goal of the project was to transform the old flour storehouse that was built in 1937 to a wellness and fitness center with a cafe and restaurant. This is according to the master plan that Peter Zumthor has created in 2005.

The existing facade will be removed and only the monumental construction of the building will remain. What makes this construction so special the mushroom shaped columns that we're only build around that period of time. One of the goals of this project was to make this visible from the outside while having a building with a high insulation value.

The other big goal of the project was to integrate the wellness in the existing building. This was a big challenge within the structure of the building. Also to exclude thermal bridges was a big issue. Every elevation in the wellness is made with specific theme.

Project description

The facade of the new Meelpakhuis is made from prefab chalk elements, these elements are lightweight, provide insulation and can be disassembled. The shape of the vertical elements are abstracted from the octagon shape of the existing columns. The last layer of the chalk element is made from lime plaster.
The addition on top of the Meelpakhuis is fully disassemble and made from timber frame construction. The wooden columns are placed closer together where there is more privacy needed in the building.

On the ground floor is a cafe that is orientated to the water and with a view to the factory terrain. On the first floor is an industrial restaurant with the old silo's still remaining in the building where the flour was stored. In the core of the building is a double hexagon shaped thing that is called ''sul''. The sul was used for the flour vertical transportation.

On the second floor is the fitness, here is a big atrium where the old silo's where located. The fitness is also on the third floor where the spinning and group classes are held.

The fourth floor is the entry for the wellness. Here is a dressing room and all rooms needed for the employees. The fifth floor is about exploring all the different facilities the wellness has to offer. There are massage rooms, rain showers, flower sauna, relax rooms.

On the sixth floor is a panorama sauna with a spectacular view over the city of Leiden. On this elevation is an salt water bath between the existing columns which gives a breathtaking view. The seventh floor is the existing roof. This is an elevation about extremes with a 100 degree sauna, a saltium and a relax room.

On the eight floor the visitor will be amazed by the big swimming pool that is located in and outside of the building. Where the sul was placed is now a tree that symbolizes circularity and durability. There is a terrace where the visitor can enjoy the sun and there is a relax bath and one sauna on this elevation.

The last floor is the nineth floor that contains a lounge and terrace with view over the old city of Leiden. The visitor can enjoy something to drink or enjoy a full diner in het Meelpakhuis!

Technical information

The building is made according to the Earth, Wind and Fire concept. This concept is made by Ben Bronsema, PhD, BEng. More information here: https://bronconsult.org/language/en/research/the-earth-wind-fire-concept/

This concept is fully integrated in the building and some elements are visible from the outside of the building.

The project was made in Archicad 24 and renders are made with Lumion 11.5.

Documentation

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