Ringersplein - Alkmaar

Alkmaar’s Overstad industrial estate is being developed and will undergo a total transformation in the coming years. From paved industrial estate to a pleasant area with activity where people live, work, shop and go out. The stony look the area has now will disappear and give way to a green oasis.

This is first noticeable around Ringers’ former chocolate factory. New buildings will rise here and both the Ringersfabriek and the shopping centre will get a makeover. The Ringersplein is at the heart of this development, which is all about staying, meeting and activity. A place where you chill under the trees with your picnic basket in summer and skate on an ice rink in winter. Hospitality facilities around the square and small-scale events will activate the square and provide the necessary buzz.

The Ringersplein as part of the inner city and responding to its context

The area is transforming into a green residential area where cyclists and pedestrians take centre stage, where there is plenty of space for trees, flowers and grass and provided with attractive places to stay for residents from all over the city.

Ringerskwartier as vibrant heart

The Overstad with the Ringersplein will become part of the inner city, but while retaining its own identity. This applies to both buildings and programming (large-scale retail) and public spaces. This will form the link between the inner city and Overstad and will complement the current public spaces.

The Ringersplein as an addition to the inner city
The Ringersplein as a green pearl in the Kanaalzone

Green promenade part of Kanaalzone

The Ringersplein will be inscribed in the green line of the Kanaalzone. The plan is in line with the municipality’s ambition to green this zone to the maximum extent. The Ringersplein is one of the green pearls on this line and is all about staying, meeting, strolling, exercising, enjoying and marvelling. The line is complemented by a variety of spots that are all programmed differently.

Lowered quay as start of the Ringersplein 

We see the lowered quay as the start of the square and as the basis for the new design. The ambition is to extend the lowered quay and continue the formal language in the square and green areas. This creates an inseparable connection between the lowered quay and the places to stay in the square.

The lowered quay as the basis for the redevelopment
The Ringersplein as a place for meeting and activity

The Ringersplein

The square will become a vibrant heart within Alkmaar and will be activated by the surrounding hospitality establishments with terraces, the Stadsstrand, the lowered quay and the events that can be organised on the square, such as a food truck festival. The multifunctional plaza space in front of the entrance to the Ringersfabriek restores the historic connection between the factory and the water, and re-establishes the building’s presence. The square surface with fountains provides activity and buzz in this square in summer, but can also be easily turned off during events. In winter, it will be able to serve as a skating rink.

Objectives Ringersplein
Ringersplein on a normal day
Ringersplein with a food truck festival
Ringersplein on a sunny day
Ringersplein during a performance
Restoring the spatial relationship between the Ringersfabriek and the Great North Holland Canal

Grote groenvlakken verzachten het plein en breken de ruimte. Hierdoor zal het meer aanvoelen als stadspark dan als plein.

The green space can be used during events, but also provides space for meeting, relaxation and sports, and contributes to increasing biodiversity in the area.

The renewed Ringersplein
Location
Alkmaar
Status
Partially implemented, second phase under development
Client
Gemeente Alkmaar, Stadswerk072, BPD, Ten Brinke en AM
Together with
Climmy Schneider and Ton Muller, Lith Advies
Steven Delva
Rogier Hendriks
Sander van den Bosch
Roy Straathof