Mariadal Convent

A vision for the development of a convent in Roosendaal

“After long, long years once more came a prince from faraway countries and heard an old man tell of the thorny hedgerow, the palace that was supposed to be behind the hedgerow and within its walls the beautiful princess, called Sleeping Beauty, her slumber of a hundred years, and the king, the queen and the entire court. He was told by his grandfather, who had seen several princes trying to go through the thorny hedgerow but they became stuck and sadly perished. Then the young prince said: “I am not afraid, I want to go there and see the Sleeping Beauty for myself”. The old man advised against it, forcefully and sternly, but the young man refused to listen. A hundred years had just passed, and the day had dawned on which Sleeping Beauty could be awoken.”

In the past, the Mariadal convent was a large, well structured and important building complex in the town centre of Roosendaal. Over the years, parts of the building have been demolished and the grounds have been reduced in size significantly. The Mariadal convent with its original cloister gardens is a State Monument.

No longer in use as a convent, development is ongoing for the building and its gardens to get a new use. In late 2013, the province of Noord Brabant issued a competition to generate ideas and a development plan for the Mariadal convent.

The secondary conditions in this competition require much research, but do not altogether fit the ambitions of the Council of Roosendaal. Additionally, Mariadal is not a familiar location and therefore undervalued, making each business case fragile.

Ruland Architecten have, in close co-operation with Werknaam b.v., produced a visionary document proposing a refining of the Mariadal assignment. This proposes an intensive use of the gardens as collective park with urban routes. Value development of the gardens and adjoining structures improves the business case of the Mariadal convent considerably.

Sleeping Beauty awakens.

LocationRoosendaal
Year2013
StatusStudy
InitiativeRuland Architects, Amsterdam
In co-operation withWerknaam b.v., Amsterdam
ImagesRuland Architects, Amsterdam

© Ruland Architecten 2021