The existing building is an old customs office in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The customs office includes 2 historical villas on the "Velperweg" and a large office building dating from the 1980's which can be accessed from the "Roosendaalsestraat". The 2 villas will be disconnected from the larger building and developed separately.
The new program for the office building will be a combination of a hotel / short-stay facility and another flexible residential program like student housing or a seniors home.
The main access and the facilities on the ground floor will be shared by both the hotel and the flexible residential program. On the floors above hotel and residential program are fully separated.
On the upper floors the separation of the 2 parts of the building program allows for a flexible exchange between the 2. In this way the building can easily adapt over time to follow an unpredictable demand in the housing market. This is done by a smart division of the floors. The split on the floors always allows for access by a dedicated lift and (escape-) stairs for each part of the building program.
