KVL

Commissioned by Cornelis Huygens Projectontwikkeling, NEXIT has designed a scheme for redeveloping industrial heritage on Oisterwijk’s KVL (acronym for Royal United Tanneries) site into a Cultural Historical Cluster (CHC). Part of the extensive tendering procedure was a number of dialogue sessions whereby the Province of North Brabant participated in setting the targets. CHC’s heart was formed around the U-Building that, with its 10,000 m2 of floor area, housed the main production in the heyday of the tannery. On the basis of a mixed-use programme a redevelopment concept was designed for this characteristic and rundown building. Included in the programme were a start-ups incubator, a theme hotel with restaurant, a historical museum focused on the regional leather industry and a number of luxurious loft apartments. Existing structural elements were employed in the design for new functions. Connections with the various other buildings were intensified by a specific routing and a scattering of follies, all inspired by the U-Building’s characteristic reinforced concrete structure.