2026-06-01, Den Helder, Noord-Holland, Nederland

Voor het Rijksvastgoedbedrijf fotografeerde ik het nieuwe Kustwachtcentrum en de uitwijklocatie.

(Photo by: Guillaume Groen )

Coast Guard

clients(s)

Rijksvastgoedbedrijf

location

den helder

users(s)

Netherlands Coastguard (Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, FIOD, NVWA, Police, Customs, ILT, SodM, Rijkswaterstaat)

On the naval base in Den Helder, the Coastguard now has two new buildings at its disposal. The Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) stands by the access bridge to the base, with the Contingency, Training and Test Location (UTT) a little further along. Although the two buildings differ from one another, they are also clearly family: the architecture is robust yet friendly, and the workspaces are pleasant and filled with daylight. In both buildings, technology and security come first without visually taking over. With its bamboo façade, its handsome entrance and the centrally located areas for press and dignitaries overlooking the tall operations rooms, the MOC is the calling card of the two.

rising sea level

The MOC is where the Dutch part of the North Sea is monitored. In anticipation of the expected sea level rise, the building stands on a newly raised mound one metre high, a first step towards raising part of the naval base. The building has a glazed plinth topped by a bamboo façade across two floors. Over time, this bamboo weathers to an attractive warm grey that suits the coastal setting. It is a low-maintenance, biobased material, in line with the high sustainability standard of the Central Government Real Estate Agency. Inside, too, biobased materials were chosen wherever possible, and parts of the building have a largely exposed timber load-bearing structure.

sustainable

The building is sustainable through its use of timber, a high degree of flexibility and a demountable structure. PV panels on the roof considerably reduce the demand for energy from the grid. An efficient services concept keeps the MOC's energy use low, despite the many devices, the 24-hour occupancy and the required emergency generator. Part of the building services is set back on the roof, above the building's backbone. There are services on the ground floor as well. The services are placed on the bridge side, where no further extension is possible, while the other side lends itself to expansion.

daylight

The MOC has a double-height reception hall with offices to the left and right, spread across three floors. In line with the entrance is the press area, fitted with a rooflight on the second floor. From there, there is a view of the two double-height operations rooms on either side, both of which have full-width windows overlooking the Nieuwediep and sawtooth roofs that bring in indirect sunlight. The offices take in daylight through large windows, with vertical fins on the façade serving as solar shading. Apart from services, the ground floor is largely given over to practical functions for staff that need little daylight, such as the shower and locker rooms and the bicycle store.

operations rooms

In the interior of the central zone and the operational part of the building, the sustainable choice for as much timber as possible creates a warm, soft atmosphere. The operations rooms are six metres high, with timber roof beams, a wall with a large screen and a panoramic view of the water and the town. Here, solar shading is provided by blinds. Between the two operations rooms is a pleasant, spacious pantry with a balcony. Above the entrance, which on the other elevation partly projects from the façade as a separate volume, there is a terrace. From the entrance hall, too, there is a view into the operations rooms, without this disrupting the work going on there.

utt

The UTT is a test and training centre that can serve as a temporary fallback location in the event of emergencies or work on the MOC. It has teaching rooms of varying sizes, including simulation and control rooms. Apart from its height, one of the rooms is a one-to-one match with the operations room in the MOC, allowing for very precise training and a quick switch-over in emergencies.

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contact

mail bd@cepezed.nl or call our
business development team
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partners

interior design: cepezedinterieur
services engineering: nelissen ingenieursbureau
structural engineering and landscape: arcadis
construction management: bbc
contractor: de nijs bouw en ontwikkeling