District court of Rotterdam

The District Court of Rotterdam on the Kop van Zuid has undergone a major refurbishment. The refurbishments comprised the public reception area, courtrooms, and office floors. On behalf of consortium leader Dura Vermeer, Drees & Sommer (then BOAG) was involved as process manager for the uniform administrative conditions for integrated contracts (UAV-gc) from the tender phase right through development and creation.

The District Court of Rotterdam is housed in the Wilhelminahof, a public, glass-covered “gallery” surrounded by three structural volumes under which the Wilhelminaplein metro station is also located. After 25 years, the courthouse was in need of an update. The National Property Agency awarded the contract for the design and creation of the court redesign on the basis of a Design & Build (UAV-gc) contract to the consortium led by Dura Vermeer. Drees & Sommer (BOAG) was part of this consortium, alongside Fokkema & Partners Architects and other consultants.

The routing to the court offices has been optimally designed and the waiting area transformed into a top-notch accommodation space. The courthouse entrance now literally and figuratively forms the warm, welcoming environment that ties together the two buildings that house the courthouse. The office environment, which includes a knowledge center and a meeting room, has also been completely renovated and adapted to the users’ needs. Clear lines and wood accents give overview and atmosphere to the business spaces.

In addition to the entire interior, the installations for cooling, heating, energy distribution, ICT, and lighting have been addressed, as well as various improvements in the field of fire safety. During the phased refurbishment, the court and office environment have remained in use.

Drees & Sommer (BOAG) played several roles in the refurbishment project: from the tender phase, the company was involved in the project as a UAV-gc process manager. In the design phase, the role of design manager was added. During implementation, it was the responsibility of the process manager to oversee the quality of the process and the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the documents to be delivered.