At the location of the old Groote Boel farm in Nijmegen North, a large, contemporary restaurant is being erected in the middle of a beautifully landscaped green area. Our office made the design for the architectural and urban design of the new hospitality building. The design opted for a contemporary interpretation of a ‘barn’ with a nod to the past. In order to preserve the existing historic foundations of the former barn, the hotel and restaurant premises will be raised on the plot. The sightlines to the Oosterhoutse plas will be improved as a result. The concept has an open and a closed side, closed to the neighborhood and open to the lake on the south side. The end façade becomes a landmark in the area, open and transparent, inviting and illuminated. For the look, a slightly grayed look of the wooden cladding is chosen, as if the building had been there for a long time. The roof is made of matt zinc with tight detailing and integrated solar panels. The process was in close consultation with the spatial planning and cultural history committees of the municipality of Nijmegen.
