VanWonen and Dons & Troost sign agreement for the construction of new VanWonen office in Zwolle

The new office will be built on the south side, at a fitting distance from the Rietveld building. The site sits on the edge of the Willemskwartier, a major urban development project within the Zwolle Spoorzone. The building will provide a new workplace for all VanWonen employees. A 120-square-metre auditorium will be built on the first floor for larger gatherings. The building will be equipped with a sustainable energy system that creates a healthy indoor climate. Beneath the office, there will be a semi-underground parking garage for bicycles and cars. The Rietveld office will take on a new role as a representative space for receiving clients and will feature discussion and meeting rooms. In addition, the VanWonenID team will have a fully-fledged studio here.

Alfred Bolks, CEO of VanWonen: “Great news that we are now starting construction on our new office. Due to the growth of our company, this expansion is highly necessary. And with its striking design, a beautiful new office will soon stand alongside the Gerrit Rietveld national monument. Together, they will form a wonderful gateway along the Willemsvaart canal to the city centre of Zwolle.”

The architecture is characterised by transparent façades and a deep roofline canopy. At the ground floor - 1.5 meters above ground level - a wrap-around deck will be constructed, creating the visual impression that the office is ‘floating’ above ground level. The landscaping was designed by Peter Verkade Landschapsarchitect. The green roofs will be adorned with perennials and a flower-rich grass mix.

Marcel Dons, director of Dons & Troost: “We are delighted to get to work for VanWonen to build this new office for them. We have successfully completed several projects for VanWonen in the past, and this new office is once again a wonderful project for our skilled people.”  

Rietveld: functionalist design
The office in Zwolle is a rare gem in Gerrit Rietveld’s portfolio. It is the one and only office he ever designed. Dating back to the late 1950s, the functionalist design follows the Modernist style of the Dutch movement ‘Het Nieuwe Bouwen’ (New Objectivity). Rietveld’s vision was to create a space defined by its purpose and built with the fewest possible materials. His work is defined by a careful composition of planes and lines, with the building’s structure deliberately exposed within the interior. Large glass facades create a seamless connection between all the rooms and the outdoors, allowing daylight to flood in. In 2014, the building was designated a national monument. VanWonen has been based in the office since December 2017 and has largely restored the building to its original glory.