Warehouse de Wereld is the new name for two buildings in the historic city center of Deventer, which now house six apartments. Studio Groen+Schild designed the repurposing project on behalf of NV Bergkwartier.

These buildings have a rich history of transformations. In 1858, Hendrik Gerhard van Otterbeek Bastiaans, a merchant of colonial goods, built two warehouses. Groceries were stored on the ground floor, while coffee, tea, seeds, and beans were kept on the upper floors. Two facade stones serve as reminders of that time: on the top left, a globe depicting the Indonesian archipelago, and on the right, an image of loading and unloading with two hands and a barrel. Both warehouses remained in the family's ownership until 1924.

In 1949, the Sallandse Houthandel became the new owner. After their departure, the buildings fell into disrepair. In 1987, the gables collapsed, leaving behind a ruin. Around 1990, NV Bergkwartier decided to rebuild the buildings. They were used as offices for the municipality of Deventer for a long time and later as a pop-up location for Museum EICAS.

Now, they are residences. The warehouses proved to be very suitable for conversion into apartments. In the heart of the two buildings is a staircase providing access to all apartments. The six homes, two per floor, enjoy space from the front facade to the rear, making them pleasantly light. The top apartments even offer views of the IJssel River.

This project beautifully illustrates how the reuse of existing buildings can contribute to the growing demand for housing. Robust architecture endures and can be transformed multiple times, in this case, even for the fifth time.

Photography: Mike Bink

Projectteam Studio Groen+Schild:
Ellen Schild, Marcel van der Kroef