MVRDV is transforming the famed Herman Hertzberger-designed Centraal Beheer building in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn into a sustainable, green residential neighborhood. MVRDV will work alongside Hertzberger's office, AHH to revitalize the celebrated structure. Certitudo Capital commissioned the project in an effort to expand the three-hectare site near the city's train station. MVRDV's design introduces approximately 650 to 800 homes and prioritizes heritage preservation, greening, and innovation.

The Centraal Beheer building was originally designed for an insurance company, noted for its influential and revolutionary office design when it opened in 1972. The building consists of four quadrants, divided by two central "streets" that form the social heart of the building. A collection of 30-foot cubes come together at varying levels to give the structure its distinctive form. 

In 2015, the building was purchased by Certitudo Capital and the surrounding site to convert it into a multifunctional residential area. MVRDV's vision for the project extends the structuralist principles of the original building. The axes of the central streets will serve as important routes through not just the building but the surrounding area, connecting the site to the city and station.

The project will contain a variety of housing. The aim is also to inject public programming into the scheme. Refurnished with sustainable materials, the building's original structure will be reused. According to MVRDV, the carbon emissions from this project are significantly lower than for regular housing. 

The design of the new units will be based on the 30-foot grid of the existing building but with built-in wood to distinguish them from the original design. The landscape will also have a clear pattern based on the grid that will incorporate a "wilder" infill with trees, grasses, water, and play and sports facilities. The next development phase includes a study to see which tree species would stimulate biodiversity the best in the park. 

"It's a super cool assignment," said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. "Herman Hertzberger is an important role model for me. When I was studying at the Delft University of Technology, he was one of my professors, along with Aldo van Eyck and Rem Koolhaas – a fine trio. I worked with him twice on InDeSem, the International Design Seminar he organised. His social agenda makes him an inspiring architect to me, and I feel a kinship with him; just as Herman launched a totally new office landscape in the early seventies, MVRDV did the same in the early nineties with the Villa VPRO. We toured the client through the Central Beheer building and it opened their minds; it became an inspiration for our own work. We will certainly retain it as the basis for the transformation."