The ‘Maaskant Building’ of NLR in Amsterdam was reopened on Thursday, 9 February 2017. Amsterdam alderman Pieter Litjens, responsible for Traffic and Transport, performed the opening ceremony together with the architect’s son Ronald Maaskant. From start to delivery, it took almost three years to renovate and carry out new-build work at the NLR-Amsterdam site.
‘Maaskant Building’ of NLR in Amsterdam
The building designed by architect Hugh Maaskant was erected between 1939 and 1941. The building is listed as a national monument of historic importance, among other things because of details like its arched roof, curved concrete supporting structures and brickwork masonry. Another special feature is that the brick walls on the outside run through to the inside, distinguishable only by a large glazed wall. So the exterior and interior architectures merge with each other almost unnoticeably. As Maaskant himself said, the hall had to be ‘the lively central point’, a meeting place for employees and visitors. See here for a video clip of the building process.
The beautiful monumental building has been restored to its original glory and at the same time transformed into a pleasant working environment that meets all contemporary requirements. Together with the new-build work, shortly also at the NLR site in Marknesse-Flevoland, the NLR complex reflects what NLR is: a unique organisation that performs applied research with a significant impact on society, economy and technology, forming a meeting place for the entire Dutch aviation sector.
