Glass cube
Glass cube
HAARLEM (NL) - The redevelopment of the Raaks area is one of the biggest city centre operations ever undertaken in Haarlem. Apart from a 1000-space underground car park, the project comprises a new cinema, municipal offices, dwellings, shops and restaurants.
In the heart of the planning area is Raaks Square, on which the entrance to the car park is located. Amidst the large-scale architecture of the cinema, the shops and a church (now a café), it is a modest little building. But at square level the seven-metre-high building is nevertheless a considerable presence, especially given the constant coming and going of car park users.
Architects Kraaijvanger Urbis designed the entrance pavilion as a glass cube, a sculptural object that at the same time endeavours to be inconspicuous. The challenge facing the ABT structural engineers was to retain the pure image of the all-glass cube, while satisfying building regulations with respect to stability, safety and durability.
A lot of attention was paid to the design of the steel 'cross details' that connect the glass panels. The stresses on these connecting points are very high, yet from an aesthetic point of view it was important that they not be too obvious. The fact that the required stability is provided by the glass panels in the roof, in combination with those in the four walls, makes this project quite special, while the use of all-glass rods in the structure of the roof is another innovation in the world of glass construction. The combined effect of these design solutions is a deceptively simple, elegant and transparent pavilion. (Kirsten Hannema)
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