The Mercuris building at Wormer, the Nethetlands

The Mercurius building is part of the extensive plant of the Lassie BV foods company at Wormer. It is one of the industrial complexes established along the river Zaan, some 20 kilometers Northwest of Amsterdam, at the end of the last century. For a larger part it is still in use as a production unit, since replacing the plant would be unpayable because of the very big silo it requires. There is one exception: the Mercurius building. It fell into disuse in 1989 and the owners (De Erven de Wed. J. van Nelle, the same as of the famous Van Nelle factories in Rotterdam) asked for a permit for demolition, by this denying its being a listed building. At present the new owner of the company (Douwe Egberts) is likely to get this permission soon and the building is in real danger. Ed schulte explains on the building and reflect on the possibilities for reuse.