In the seventies of last century, the Koninklijke Coöperatieve Cosun U.A. (Royal Cosun / the Dutch Suiker Unie) was looking for a new head office in Breda. The location they eventually acquired is on the western edge of Breda. The immediate surrounding residential areas were not yet there at the time. The Suikerunie commissioned Wim Quist to design a suitable headquarters that was realized around 1975. In the original design, the Suikerunie site was accessed on the west side, via the diagonal Zuilenstraat that connects the current Zandoogjes with the Ettensebaan. The location, which had a green, park-like design, was entered through an entrance gate with a garage and porter’s house on either side. Employees and visitors were escorted to the entrance, which is in the cutout on the southwest side of the building. The diagonal positioning of the building in relation to the plot is a result of this. Terrain design, visual art and buildings thus formed a carefully designed ensemble.
The situation has remained virtually unchanged for more than twenty years. A residential area and a police station respectively were built to the north and east of the plan. The location was densified around the turn of the century. Plans have been made for four office buildings, two of which were eventually realized. Cosun / Suikerunie left their head office in 2011 and the building has been vacant ever since. The garage and porter’s house have since been demolished, the visual arts have disappeared and the Zuilenstraat that opened up the park no longer exists.
The park will be revived in the coming years and transformed into a residential area. In consultation with Wim Quist we are carefully fitting in the former Suikerunie building. Maintaining the striking, solitary character and the expressive facade of the building are important starting points.
