Successful opening Gamestate at Circus Theatre

The former Circus theater, the iconic postmodern building in Zandvoort, has reopened as the Gamestate Circus Zandvoort. NewArmstrong has taken care of the permits for this project. With 2000 m2, this is immediately the largest Gamestate in the Netherlands and also the only one with a cinema.

In addition to the cinema being a new development for Gamestate, other functions have also changed in the transition to Gamestate: where slot machines used to be, there are now pool tables. The building has been completely refurbished and is now in Gamestate’s signature purple-pink colors. Architecturally, nothing much has changed about the building; however, the last use notification/permit was over 25 years old.

Architectural layout

The building is a remarkable building with two building sections with a high volume vna 16 meters. This distinctive volume of five large flags measuring 7 by 14 meters is a real eye-catcher. The flags contain escape stairs and air ventilation systems. Structurally, the building is also remarkable: it has a structure in the shape of a circus tent. That is made of sprayed concrete. That roof rests on a number of central columns. From those columns hang free-hanging islands, balconies and bridges which creates a very open space.

Postmodern building

This high-profile design, by architect Sjoerd Soeters has been praised and reviled. Sometimes voted the ugliest building in the Netherlands, but also praised as the first post-modern building in the Netherlands. Located on the Gasthuisplein in Zandvoort, the building combines playful fronts, historical references and an expressive facade composition. In the permit we took into account the historical layering of the building and the practical requirements of contemporary use.

Permit and use notification

That original architectural layout with stairs, spiral staircases, suspended and free-hanging balconies, a cinema with balconies (lodges) and theater function makes it a complex use permit. In order to submit the permit to the Environmental Department according to the filing requirements, we investigated the extent to which the building differs from the old permit from 2003.

We checked all emergency exits, fire separations and use areas during construction and assessed whether the fire alarm system and smoke detectors complied with the old permit. We also took into account the specific requirements from Gamestate, such as changing arrangements of inventory and arcade games.

We set up the building in a new 3d building model to generate the drawings from.