Last Friday Robert Winkel conducted a guided tour of the construction site of The Delfshaven Factory. The group of participants and interested individuals varied from neighbourhood residents and fellow architects to other professional colleagues. Responses to the design for the conversion of The Factory were very positive and the construction site was visited and viewed with great interest and sometimes surprise. The latter was no doubt down to the fact that Robert Winkel is known for his animated style of presentation. But more than anything else, it is The Factory itself that currently tells a very exciting story, precisely now that it is in the middle of a transformation from an old factory into a trendy multipurpose commercial building.
The contrast between old walls — still bearing traces of graffiti and previous occupants — and the newly added constructions such as the atrium and the glazed box on the roof, make its current appearance highly remarkable and unique. For the construction process is proceeding rapidly. The conversion is designed and constructed in such a way that the character of the original factory and old details are respected wherever possible. Nevertheless, in the final result part of the ‘former glory’ will make way for a fresh and new interior of the workspaces.