Alexandrium is made of 35.000m² megastores and 65.000m² home and living mall. The assignment was approved after winning the architectural competition and was build in two fases. Important aspect for winning te competition was the incorporation of the existing polderhuis, which seems to be placed in a window of the new mall.
| Architects | Fons Verheijen |
Next to the highway A2 near the centre of Utrecht a spectacular large scale shopping and leisure centre has been realised. The 800 meter long “Ferrari red” complex acts as a noise barrier to the new residential area of Leidsche Rijn. The fluent design of slowly undulating lines is inspired by the perspective of the driver passing the complex in 32 seconds, driving at a speed of 100 km/hour. The fluent lines create an illusion of movement. This building, having a surface area of approx. 65,000m2, houses many retail businesses, a high-quality DIY store, a catering business (fast-food restaurant) and leisure facilities (discotheque, sports or multi-purpose hall). On the roof is a 1400 spaces large car park. The building together with the ‘Cockpitgebouw’ at the Wetering Noord area, designed by the architect Kas Oosterhuis, are the showpiece of the city of Utrecht.
For the large-scale shopping and business center De Herven, dating from 1979, there was a threat of emptying out and impoverishment, including through screaming facade advertising. A redevelopment plan was implemented in 2003 to reverse this negative spiral. With important but relatively simple interventions, such as a uniform facade layout and advertising to be conducted according to fixed rules, as well as a generous continuous and cantilevered awning of 13 meters, a high-quality and pleasant residential area has again been created. The immediate surroundings, the walking area and the parking lot, have also been redesigned and constructed.
Commissioned by Bouwfonds REIM, VVKH has made a design for a distinguishable new shoppingbuilding. The new building is facing a main road entering Utrecht and acts as a showcase for the home and living stores in the streets behind. The plan consists of the demolition of an outdated officebuilding and construction of the new building with several shops showing a transparant facade towards the Europalaan.
The Rijneke Boulevard in Zoeterwoude is a busy shopping area with a dated appearance. The complex has its back to the Rijn. We have developed a vision to renovate and expand the boulevard in stages. The Rijn is also more involved in the shopping area by creating harbors.
The first phase starts on the west side of the complex. In this phase, the first building has already been renovated (completed in 2016) and the expansion of 6,000 m2 of retail space started in January 2018. The shopping area is organized around the old harbor of the Heineken factory, where the hops used to be unloaded.
