Foto: Dudok Architectuur Centrum
Former NCRV-studiocomplex
1938-1941 / J.H. van der Veen
Schuttersweg 10, Hilversum
The Dutch Christian Radio Association (NCRV) was founded in 1924. From 1937 on it was broadcast from Villa Henriette on the Schuttersweg. A year later, construction of the studio complex with accompanying bicycle shed started in the garden of the villa.
The studio was opened in 1940. The design of J.H. van der Veen was chosen from the entries of eight architects who were invited to participate in a closed competition, and was based on the principle of the Spider in the Web. The central point was the broadcasting cell in the hall between the different studios. This central point is accentuated in the exterior by the octagonal tower with the logo as the tower’s crown. The different heights of the studios are clearly visible in the complex in the varied construction of the volumes.
The box-in-box construction was used in the construction of the studios. The larger spaces are located in two trapezoidal volumes. The stucco ceilings of these studios were designed on the basis of acoustic requirements. The stained glass triptych in the hall was designed by glazier M. Nauta. A female figure symbolizes the NCRV. It is surrounded by some important ecclesiastical building in the Netherlands. In the left window the parable of the sower, in the right window the reaper, the binder, and the farmer. The studio building was directly connected to the Henriette villa via an underground corridor.
Source: Annette Koenders, Hilversum. Architectuur en Stedenbouw 1850-1940, Zwolle (2001).
Architect
Period
Location
Schuttersweg 10, Hilversum