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Façade projects

The office of OpTrek is established in a house already left by its residents. When the premises are demolished, OpTrek will move along with the demolition. In order to be recognizable in the district OpTrek wants each new office to have a 'face' of its own. This was first executed by the Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata, who mounted a wooden construction to the façade and in the office, made of old floorboards from houses due for demolition in Transvaal. With the various façade designs OpTrek hopes to arouse curiosity about the various activities among residents and people interested in art from The Hague and elsewhere.

In addition, through the various façade projects OpTrek wants to express a contemporary dynamic vision on architecture and urban design. Thus the temporary façade projects are a statement on the reuse of waste material in construction, as well as on the regulations in architecture and urban planning (see Kawamata and 2012 Architecten).

The façade in Wesselsstraat (29 June 2003 through 30 November 2003) is built in accordance with the Recyclicity principles. 2012 Architecten conducted a special neighbourhood research into the major structural local waste streams, so as to realize a cycle in which as little energy as possible is wasted. For the façade they eventually used old aluminium doors from houses due for demolition in the neighbourhood.