On Thursday, July 10, we visited the historic center of Leiden with team NEOO.
We kicked off the afternoon with a visit to our own project: Aalmarkt 22, the redevelopment of the monumental former V&D building. We will turn this iconic building into a lively, sustainable and multifunctional place to work, shop, play sports, eat and sleep. Permits for the renovation will be submitted soon.
After this inspiring start, we sailed by boat through the Leiden canals to the Meelfabriek – a unique redevelopment nearing completion after years of vision and perseverance. Here the owner, developing contractor and industrial heritage enthusiast Ab van der Wiel together with colleague Patty Beuk and project architect Bart Akkerhuis of the Paris-based agency STUDIO AKKERHUIS | ARCHITECTS gave us an explanation of the transformation process of this fantastic and impressive industrial heritage site during a guided tour. In addition to the beautiful buildings, we were also impressed by Piet Oudolf’s stunning indoor garden.
The day ended with a canal cruise and a summer dinner by the water.