New office in former Carl Zeiss Factory

The German company Carl Zeiss built the Nedinsco Fabriek according the design of architect Hans Schlag, back in 1923. Carl Zeiss used the Dutch based factory to bypass the terms of the Treaty of Versailles that prohibits Germany from producing war equipment. The 36-meter high tower was used to focus optical instruments and also served for the calibration of larger measuring distances.

In the thirties the firm grew into a world-renowned supplier of optical measuring devices such as; submarine periscopes; cameras and signal lights for the global defense market, boosting the local economy. On the other hand Nedinsco has been used by the Germans for military espionage, from 1935. In 1944, a bomb destroyed the factory building, only the tower survived the bombing. After the war Nedinsco Fabriek was seized by the Dutch government and after a period of temporary management sold to G. Beusker, a manufacturer from Arnhem, who built up the factory again.

The factory building came in decline from 2007, the moment it became unoccupied. After more than 10 years of decline the Dutch monument fund, the province and property development firm Woonwenz invested 18 million euros to renovated the carcass back into its historical style, to revive Nedinsco’s old glory as an iconic landmark of world class. Architects Bert Dirrix and Remco Mulder from Architecture firm diederendirrix are responsible for the rezoning and renovation design of Nedinsco Fabriek.

Typical aspects of the architectural style are the minimalistic white walls, clean straight lines (never diagonal) built from concrete and steel. The building is a good example of New Objectivity Architecture; a modern architecture that emerged in Europe, in the 1920s and 30s. Other examples of New Objectivity in the Netherlands are the “Van Nelle Fabrieken” in Rotterdam and the “Witte Dame” from Philips in Eindhoven.