The centre of Winschoten (NL) is ready for the future

The outdated centre of Winschoten has undergone a makeover. A fire at Cultuurhuis De Klinker, followed by flooding, meant that a redesign of the public space was the only way to go. And thanks to a grant from the provincial authorities, the second shopping centre in Groningen is now ready to face the future.

The redesign of the centre of Winschoten started with Cultuurhuis De Klinker, a theatre on the northern periphery of the centre whose name is taken from the brick factory that once stood on the site. It was in need of urgent refurbishment. The local authority had two choices – a thorough renovation or new-build.

A pyromaniac had already seen to it that De Klinker would fall prey to a sea of flames, so new-build was really the only option. After the fire, Winschoten was affected by terrible flooding, with basements and shops throughout the centre under water. It was a wake-up call that Winschoten’s centre needed urgent attention.

The damage caused by the flooding meant that the sewers needed to be replaced. In turn, this meant that the streets had to be ripped up – but it also meant that more money was made available for the redesign. It proved a good opportunity to not only rebuild De Klinker, but to refurbish the adjacent squares and streets as well. Since 2015, the newly built Cultuurhuis has been a modern, multi-functional building incorporating a theatre, cinema, arts centre, radio studio, and café. This was followed by a redesign of the public spaces.

The fact that there was once a brick factory on the site no doubt contributed to the decision to opt for clay pavers. But it wasn’t the only reason. Clay paving helps to create a natural appearance and is both sustainable and reusable. In addition to their natural, warm look, pavers maintain the intensity of their colour for years. They are easy to maintain, environmentally friendly, and can be combined with other materials such as weathering steel, wood ,and plants.

Our range

In the redesign of the city centre in Winschoten, different spaces are distinguished from others through the use of different colours and sizes of clay paver. The road surfaces use brown pavers in dik sizes while the parking areas are a mixture of brown and black pavers in the narrower 50 mm size.

The footpaths use red/brown pavers. The project’s main colour is brown. The choice of colour creates an interesting contrast with the many red façades to which Winschoten is home and the terra cotta hues in the façade of De Klinker.

In the shopping area, clay pavers with a colour nuance between brown and red are used to distinguish the pedestrian area. These clay pavers are also unsanded ,giving them less of a sleek appearance to their shape. The decision to give the area a lived appearance through the use of pavers was a conscious one aimed at emphasising the vibrancy of the centre. Pavers in kei size were used at the entrance to the centre area ,in a unique colour, which were specially developed by Vandersanden for this project.

What colour nuances are available?

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