“Did you know this place is haunted?” Saman Mohammadi asks on entering the beautiful pink room in Het Spaansche Hof on Westeinde. As director of the real estate developer RE:BORN, the sophisticated thirtysomething can call himself the owner of this medieval gem. “A while ago, a mirror fell down, while the hook was still in the wall! The wife of the knight Gerrit van Assendelft, who once lived here, was sentenced to death and she’s still here.” He winks, “We were only told that after the sale, though.”

Mohammadi’s eloquent partner Raouf Jarmo (34) takes a seat at the table next to him and explains the history RE:BORN wants to add to this city palace and to the city, because the gentlemen also have the Seaview building on Gevers Deynootweg and Scheveningen Pier in their portfolio. This interview is more like a philosophical treatise than a chat about real estate. “Our vision is to create a healthier and better living environment. Forever,” Jarmo sums up. “That means developing evolutionary buildings that can move with the times.”

Time travel

A nice thought, but how do you go about that? “We were inspired by the film The Time Machine, in which the protagonist, Alexander, travels through time to prevent his wife’s death,” Mohammadi explains. “In the future, he sees his house turned into a storage facility and later a garage – buildings have to be dynamic to survive. It then makes way for a bigger building, but why is the building next door still there? Because everyone loves it. So, we make buildings people cherish, because you keep what you love. Finally, you see the seasons merge as time accelerates. Without waste, because nature wastes nothing – that has to be the same with buildings: sustainable. In short, by building dynamically, cherishingly and sustainably, we create buildings for eternity in an ever-changing world.”

“Look where we are now,” Jarmo adds. “Het Spaansche Hof has been everything through the centuries: residence, embassy, office, exhibition space and event venue. It can’t get more dynamic than that. So, we also took future functions into account when redeveloping it. The semi-basement – which will be purposed as a wine bar next – and the upper floors – which will be used for short, middle and long stays – have been designed to be without a designated function so that they are suitable for another use in the future.”

Het Spaansche Hof has been everything over the centuries: residence, embassy, office, exhibition space and event venue.

Main floor

That aspect of being cherished – evidenced by the listed status of the building – that was handed to Mohammadi and Jarmo on a plate with the purchase is both a blessing and curse. “We were not allowed and could not do much about the main floor; it remains an event location,” Jarmo explains. “We did take many more sustainability measures than we had to: largely off the gas, a roof full of solar panels and even the monumental windows are insulated.” And that without any demolition work. Mohammadi: “As a result, we hardly emitted any CO2. We would have got CO2 offsets for that in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Well, everything we do is an uphill battle, but The Hague is very dear to our hearts.”

That love for the court capital is no coincidence. Jarmo was born in Westeinde Hospital and grew up in Transvaal and Rijswijk, Mohammadi settled in Zoetermeer as an 8-year-old after his family fled Iran to the Netherlands and often went to Scheveningen Pier. They are not exactly backgrounds from which a career in real estate is obvious. "According to my family, you can become one of three things: dentist, engineer or failure," Mohammadi says. "I was rejected for medicine based on an admission lottery, so I studied engineering and then did a PhD programme." That's how the partners met. Jarmo: "I didn't necessarily grow up with ambition, but I was gripped by real estate when working at ING. After finishing my master's, I also wanted to get a PhD, and that’s when I ran into Saman and Niel (Slob, former partner, ed.).

Social function

The trio worked as consultants at the Draaijer and Partners project management firm, but the gentlemen soon wanted more. They started RE:BORN in 2014 and bought their first real estate on Oude Haagweg three years later which they redeveloped with the help of a group of West Frisian investors. From a developer with a budget of 750,000 euros, RE:BORN grew into a development investor with a portfolio of 125 million euros, which will grow to 1 billion euros in property value in the coming years. The company is now switching to investment management. “Because we’re the ones developing and investing, we can be more idealistic,” says Jarmo. “So, we’re actively involved in the functional designation of our real estate, which often involves a social function. After all, you also make social impact with sustainability.”

Ultimately, the entrepreneurs want to go a step further with their real estate concept. “Like Apple’s Steve Jobs, we want to make the hardware (the real estate), the software (the operators) and the entrepreneur’s content a closed system,” Mohammadi explains. “That means we’re entering joint ventures with operators. We’re already doing that with the wine bar here in Het Spaansche Hof, and the intention is that we’ll work with partnerships on the Pier too. That’s the future of the real estate market: the entrepreneur with their workmanship, us with the real estate, the strategy and the funding. That’s why we are constantly looking for innovative partners in this adventure.”

Idealism

Like Het Spaansche Hof, RE:BORN bought the Pier out of idealism. “This symbol of the Netherlands has been dying a silent death for years, but it deserves love. And soon, before it’s too late,” Mohammadi says, and who expects the first spade to go into the ground in 2026. “It will be the most circular construction operation ever,” he promises. “A few years ago, we dismantled the Satellite building of De Nederlandsche Bank, and we will be bringing it to the Pier in its entirety, saving 2,300 tons of CO2.”

The Seaview building on Gevers Deynootweg is also in RE:BORN's portfolio. Photo: Mike Bink

The promenade will house retail, a family hotel and other hospitality venues, the left island will have a luxury hotel with a three-storey spa. The watchtower will make way for a new tower with co-working spaces, a restaurant, a club and a viewing deck. A multifunctional conference and theatre space will be realised near the Ferris wheel. On top of all that, we’re building a freely accessible sea park. It’s just the first designation, because through dynamic construction, the functions can be changed quickly and easily in the future.

“We want to go from two to five million visitors a year, which will be a flywheel for Scheveningen, and that’s why we also involve local residents and entrepreneurs closely in the implementation of our plans,” Jarmo says. “That will enable the Pier to be reborn as a building for eternity in an ever-changing world.”

www.re-born.com