Studio Frank Havermans wraps 500-year-old Dutch toll house in timber pavilions

For the 500th anniversary of the Besiendershuis, a medieval toll house in Nijmegen built in 1525 in Lower Rhenish Gothic style, Studio Frank Havermans has installed two temporary wooden structures: The Hanging Chamber and The Slender House. The Slender House occupies the footprint of a demolished 20th-century house, positioned above the existing garden wall and oriented toward the River Waal, serving as a temporary workspace for artists and writers. The Hanging Chamber leans against the east facade, functioning as an urban street podium for performances. Both are made of plywood with timber framing referencing medieval construction, and their geometry connects visually to the Nijmegen bridge. The intervention extends the building's cultural program—it operates as a residency for artists, writers, and musicians—into the surrounding public space. Curated by Jan-Wieger van den Berg and Jade Kerste, with structural engineering by Pieter Pollemans, the project was supported by Gemeente Nijmegen, The Mondrian Fund, Cuppens+Zn, Gerrits Glas en Schilderwerken, and Trimetal. Photographs by René de Wit and William Moore.