Special façade finish harmonises with land and water

Van der Valk Hotel Delft A4

At a special sight location on the A4 and N211, where the high-rise buildings of Rijswijk end and the polder landscape of Midden-Delfland begins, Van der Valk Hotel Delft A4 opened on 14 February. The hotel with its striking tower accommodates 142 luxury rooms, a modern gym and ample facilities for conferences and events. A green roof garden has been laid out on the first and second floors, while the à la carte restaurant looks out beautifully over the water. 

The new building was designed by Wiegerinck architects, who subtly incorporated the polder lines of water and land into the building and the building façade. For example, earthy brick façade bands are combined with metal façade panels by ArcelorMittal Construction Specials, which reflect sunlight just like the water.

Van der Valk Hotel Delft A4 is the second Van der Valk hotel in Wiegerinck's extensive portfolio, which previously had the honour of designing the impressive Van der Valk Hotel Nijmegen-Lent. "Based on the Van der Valk family's experience in Nijmegen-Lent, we were invited for the architect selection," says partner and architect Tom Vlemingh. "The basic request consisted of a functional programme, which had to be stylishly fitted into the special landscape. The plot is located on the edge of Midden-Delfland, which forms the green lung or backyard of Delft, The Hague and Rotterdam. It is precisely this green character we wanted to emphasise, by giving the hotel extra value as a gateway to Midden-Delfland."

Three-sided orientation 

Two main volumes were chosen to construct the building. Major eye-catcher is the eight-storey hotel room tower, built on top of a two-storey plinth. The plinth building houses the entrance, large foyer, kitchen, restaurant, conference and meeting rooms and shipping. On the first two floors, hotel guests will find spacious terraces, which are sunny on the southwest. Due to the hotel's three-sided orientation, a nearby water treatment plant is naturally hidden from view. "Instead, guests have views over the sea, the Maasvlakte and urban areas," Vlemingh says. "But also on special high-rise projects such as European Patent Office (EPO) and several residential towers, which allowed us to go up in height with this project as well. Naturally with respect for the polder landscape."

Respect for the landscape

"The polder landscape is reflected in our design on three levels," explains architect Wilma Hiemstra. "For instance, we translated the horizontal character of the landscape into long sightlines and a stacked structure with dark and light façade bands. Setting the light façade bands slightly back from the bricks creates a special contrast effect, while pleasant curves emphasise the organic shape of the landscape." 

As a second level, she mentions the parcellation of the polders, which led to a division into closed (metal cladding panels) and open parts (windows), for example. The addition of slats enhances the interplay of lines and adds extra scale to the design. "Zooming in even further, we arrive at the material. We think the contrast between water and grassland is similar to the contrast between light and dark, between reflection and absorption and between smooth and robust. The particular mix of bricks and metal brings these contrasts together. This makes the whole look even stronger."

Constantly on the move

For the metal sheets, Wiegerinck selected ArcelorMittal Construction Specials' Eclectic profiled sheets, which are distinguished by a dynamic and completely asymmetrical design. "As a result, light is reflected differently at any time and from any place," Hiemstra emphasises. "Just like the water, which is constantly moving." 

Vlemingh: "Together with the Van der Valk family, we went through an extensive process to ensure the right colour scheme in this process as well. We explored many combinations, until we discovered the brass-yellow and metallic Pyrite." Hiemstra: "The Pyrite colour is reflected in the sanding of the bricks. And the colour of the metal frames, window frames, drip sills, slats, balustrades and outdoor staircases also approaches Pyrite, bringing the various elements and materials together as yet."

Aesthetic and economic

"As this project was realised at a time when prices were skyrocketing, we very consciously opted for an aesthetic and economical solution," explains Vlemingh. "Also in this context, ArcelorMittal Construction Specials metal cladding panels were an interesting choice." The cladding panels were fixed to the rear structure with special torx screws, says Hiemstra. "Because the fixing screws are also sprayed in colour, they hardly stand out in the overall picture." 

Finally, the connection profiles are special, says Levi Kleinjan, manager Special Façades at ArcelorMittal Construction Specials. "Instead of a standard working width and fitting profiles, in this project all façade panels were framed. Each segment had a specific dimension, so we had to supply almost 40 different working widths. This makes the façade finish distinctive not only in form, appearance and colour, but also in production and assembly."