Energy House | TenBrasWestinga

The Energy House is a meeting place for everyone. It is a compilation of existing cultural institutions in a former power station. The overwhelming industrial building is full of energy with music, theater,dance, art, food and drink, festivals, concerts, debates, courses and children's activities. 

In the development area Stadswerven the Municipality of Dordrechtre locates existing cultural institutions, including a central hall for theater Kunstmin, theater and concert halls for To Be, rehearsal rooms for Hollands Diepandpop venue Bibelot. 

The building consists of 3xtwo factory halls that were built bigger increasing overtime.The major components of the program, the new theater and pop venues are located directly under the historical rafters, for the public to incisively experience the beauty of nearly a century of engineering.

The main architectural interventionis the 'cut', a glass-covered traffic street along the full length of the hundred-meter complex.The day light flooded street light determines the orientation of the building, bringing daylight into its heart and is decorated with cascading stairs that leads the audience to the theater and pop venues. The cut is the meeting place and promotes mulifunction eluse of the complex.

The smallest halls in the oldest part, which had previously been completely divided in small rooms, have been stripped back to empty halls.One of the misthe music hall, in the other the cultural cafe. Both areas can be connected to a large hall for events and festivals. In the middle part, the seminar rooms, the aterand ballet studios are realized under the truss structure.The largest and last built halls are pop venues and a special location-theater for multiple users.

On the outside,the cut is seen on two sides of the complex. In addition to the new striking entrances are present facades restored to its former state.

The design is aim to experience as much of the old factory. The incision is placed along the existing factory walls and corridors are located along the existing facades.The former construction in Know wears the floor of the pop venue. The new materialsare clearly recognizable: black steel, glass, (keroewing-) wood and cement plastering: honest materialsand colors that seamlessly integrate with the timeless engineering architecture of the Energiehuis.  

As with all cultural projects also here the financial resources are limited. Through clear architectural choices and convincing materials, the realization of more than 14,000 m2 programcould lead toa spatial fascinating design.The strong architectural intervention of the cut not only connects the districtson both sides of the Energiehuis, or just a functional accessibility of the program, but contributes greatly to the diverse and multi-purpose use of all spaces in the building by all users.The design promotes multiple use and entice visitor sto explore new culture . Building,program and use have given the city of Dordrecht a great boost.