The Netherlands' first Rosewood Hotel

Perhaps the most luxurious hotel in the Netherlands

The former Palace of Justice on Prinsengracht in Amsterdam will be transformed into a very luxurious hotel with 133 rooms/suites. It will be the Netherlands' first Rosewood Hotel, which will open its doors at the end of 2023.

Amsterdam city centre is of course a prime location, but the facilities actually make it a five-star plus hotel. A spa/wellness, swimming pool, fitness, two restaurants and a bar, conference rooms, grand ballroom, library and very luxurious rooms with an extensive home automation system. Part of the listed building in which the hotel will be located dates back to 1665 and has a total area of 21,000 m2. The building will be completely gutted, after which it will be given a new layout and installation. Besides all the modern gadgets, the characteristic features will be retained.

Sanitary installations

Specialist in sanitary installations Hoogendoorn has been involved in work preparation and engineering since 2020. It is responsible for the sanitary systems, the waste water drains, the drinking water and rainwater installation and the extinguishing facilities. After the pre-selection, extensive preparation preceded to arrive at clear starting points, says tender manager Marco Lek. "The first drawings we had were blueprints from 1800/1900. From these, floor plans were made by several collaborating architects. Following the architect's drawings, we determined where the floors had to open up to estimate the available space and to position shafts. There was little room for this because of the historical accents to be preserved."

Slokker Bouwgroep scanned the building with 3D scanners after stripping and preparing it for construction and then the rooms turned out to be centimetres larger or smaller. Many plumbing positions had to be redetermined to arrive at correct execution drawings. 

Surprises

The engineering phase took a year. The work planner walks on site at least two full days a week to take measurements in order to provide the execution with the best possible information. The staff still encounter new surprises, says chief engineer Hans de Wit. "There is no structure in the building. Every room is different." His colleague and senior work planner Arie Plomp complements him: "Inspection holes were made beforehand to assess the situation, but when the floor is fully opened, it often turns out that the assumption was not quite right after all."

Meanwhile, Hoogendoorn has entered the implementation phase. The monumental, wooden ceilings will be stripped and demolished, after which the drains will be installed. There will also be installations between the masonry vaults, says project manager Michel van der Lingen. "In those vaults, we sometimes have to drill holes 2.5 metres long to feed a piece of pipe through. It is a huge puzzle to get the installation in."

Saving and reusing water

The monumental building will soon receive BREEAM In-Use certification. Hoogendoorn takes these sustainability requirements into account by equipping toilet groups with self-closing water inlets in case of absence, by draining the rainwater collected for the planting of the inner gardens and by preheating hot water partly with the residual heat from the WKO. Lek: "It will be the most luxurious hotel in Amsterdam and so nothing will be skimped on."

Special project

The work takes place in the heart of Amsterdam. Therefore, Hoogendoorn opted for as few suppliers as possible. The fact that the municipality is repairing the quays at the same time, leaving even less room, does not make things any easier. But in this, Hoogendoorn employees see a great job, says Van der Lingen. "It is a beautiful building to make. Hoogendoorn stands for challenges and special projects. This is what we like to do. We think ahead as much as possible and are in close contact with the construction management. The cooperation is going very well."