Heijmans and the City of Utrecht have signed an umbrella contract for two sub-projects: the realization of the new Muziekpaleis (Music Palace) and the construction of the Vredenburg Intersection in Utrecht's inner city.
A building contract valued at 81 million was signed for the construction of the Muziekpaleis. At the moment, the specifications for the Vredenburg Intersection are being developed by a joint construction team with the ultimate objective of signing a building contract for this project as well.
The Vredenburg Music Centre was partially demolished last year and will be renovated and expanded. In total this represents 21,000 m² of new construction and 9,000 m² of renovated building. The large hall designed by architect Herman Hertzberger will be preserved and four new halls will be added for pop, jazz, cross-over and chamber music, with a total of over 5,000 seats. Loading and unloading will, in the future, take place underground so that this will no longer cause any inconvenience aboveground. This also frees up room for a 'square' with a terrace along the restored Catharijnesingel. Construction on the Muziekpaleis will be initiated as soon as the required permits are obtained.
A system of bridges will be developed where the Leidsche Rijn and the Catharijnesingel will meet in the future, using the Vredenburg Intersection as the working title. This includes the underground approach to the loading and unloading area as well.
Heijmans will combine the Non-residential Building, Technical Services (Burgers Ergon), Road Building, Engineering (Breijn) and Concrete Construction and Hydraulic Engineering disciplines for the project. The City and Heijmans have worked together to produce a well-thought out phasing plan for the construction. The basic principle is to keep Utrecht's inner city accessible, safe and liveable by using a well-planned traffic management approach and limiting any nuisance as much as possible.
Source: Heijmans
