PROJECT


It’s early on 24 Sept, 1973 and the largest covered shopping centre in The Netherlands has just opened its doors. Now some thirty five years later it is all changed. While Hoog Catharijne is still very successful, it is time to rethink the formula. Shopping centres today should be more than just a collection of stores. They have to meet the ever changing demands of a discerning consumer. Hoog Catharijne is located in the city of Utrecht, the number four city in the Netherlands. Hoog Catharijne is the largest shopping center in the Netherlands with over 26 MIO visitors per year.

This figure is constantly growing with new major housing projects being developed around the outer areas of the city. The short term thinking of the 70’s, when every major building including Hoog Catharijne was produced in concrete, has now
changed. In its place will come a building that is welcoming, natural and sits with the environment. The building will be expanded with the addition of 35.000 m2. In turn it will become a true destination for future generations. The infrastructure around the centre will be drastically improved with a new public transport terminal and additional car parking within Hoog Catharijne. Plus the spirit of the city will be enhanced with the return of the canal that was infilled in 1970.

So over the next ten years Hoog Catharijne will be redeveloped to become Nieuw Hoog Catharijne. A centre that offers a complete retail lifestyle experience for the consumer. The return of the canal will be a main feature in the redevelopment of Hoog Catharijne, flowing beneath the central glass city room. Large glass doors will allow visitors or guests to access the outside areas alongside the canal. Entering
Nieuw Hoog Catharijne from one of the two main entrances, one will be aware of the scale of the  scheme. Low ceilings and cramped spaces will be replaced by a series of rooms, each with their own distinct feel and offer. Two internal boulevards will run parallel through the building, linking the central station to the city centre. Each boulevard will have its own streetscape which expresses and complements the retail offer. Fashion, food and lifestyle activity will be the key ingredients. Nieuw Hoog Catharijne will set the next standard for a retail lifestyle destination.