Delfland Water Authority Building Design, Delft Architecture, Dutch Project Images
Delfland Water Authority Building
Gemeenlandshuis Development in Holland – design by Mecanoo architecten, NL
7 Aug 2018
Delfland Water Authority Building
Design: Mecanoo architecten, Delft
Location: Delft, The Netherlands
Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland

The Delfland Water Authority is located in a historical building on the Oude Delft: the Gemeenlandshuis. The monumental part was built in 1505 as a house for Jan de Huyter. The sandstone facade was unique for that time and it was one of the few buildings to survive the 1536 city fire. More than 100 years later, the house came into the hands of the Delfland Water Authority.

A new housing
Over time the Water Authority expanded to include several adjacent monumental buildings, and in 1975 a new building on the Phoenixstraat was added. In 2014, the Water Authority decided to revise its housing strategy. The most important task was to make what was once a fragmentary complex into a cohesive whole. The ambition was to transform it into a pleasant, flexible working environment that reflects both the requirements of modern time and the identity of the Water Authority, while maintaining the special characteristics of the monumental elements.

Connectivity

Mecanoo chose the theme ‘View of Delft’ as the starting point for the design. First, all parts of the building were analyzed: what are the striking qualities and what are the ...