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Extraterrestrial design for an extraordinary building

Ruland Architects collaborates with Marc Ruygrok on the realization of the UFO Zover

In honor of the new millennium, a large art event was held in the city of Utrecht in 1999. At the initiative of (then) director Sjarel Ex of the Centraal Museum Utrecht, Panorama 2000 was organized. Spread throughout the city, 24 works were realized by 20 different artists.

There was the Ferris wheel for cars by John Körmeling, the second sunset in the west by Olafur Eliasson and roof animals moved by the wind by Theo Jansen. This exhibition could only be experienced as a whole from the Dom Tower. From the various transepts the works of art unfolded in the panorama. In order to also give disabled people the opportunity to see the exhibition, a temporary lift was attached to the tower.

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On the roof of the Inktpot (the head office of ProRail), visual artist Marc Ruygrok has landed a UFO. This metal flying saucer is entitled Zover and with a diameter of almost 12 meters is a striking addition to the national monument building by G. W. van Heukelom.

Ruland Architecten, together with Marc Ruygrok, contributed to the architectural execution of the project. For the realization, the necessary architectural drawings were made on the basis of the scale model in order to be able to place the UFO on the Inktpot in a constructive and aesthetic way. The dish was produced at Antonius Vessel Heads, a factory specialized in making dome-shaped objects from stainless steel.

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Panorama 2000 was a temporary exhibition where the intention was that all artworks would be removed afterwards. However, the artwork by Marc Ruygrok was purchased by the Dutch Railways, which is why the UFO on the roof of the head office (now ProRail) at the Moreelsepark can still be seen.

Location
 Amsterdam
Floor area
 95  sq m gross floor area
Year
 1998 – 1999
Status
 Completed
Client
 NS Vastgoed

Artist
 Marc Ruygrok, den Oever
Architect
 Ruland Architecten, Amsterdam
Contractor
 Antonius Vesselheads B.V.
Photography
 Koen Verheyden
Images
 Ruland Architecten, Amsterdam
© Ruland Architecten