On a wet day in October 2004, some members of the Poortgebouw with friends made a trip to Den Haag to check out the developments at the Grote Pyr. The Grote Pyr is the "offspring" from the Blauwe Aanslag, a former tax office squatted in 1980, which was (forcefully) evicted in October 2003 to make may way for a bike path of all things. The City of Den Haag offered what is now the Grote Pyr for sale to the former inhabitants of the Blauwe.

Since 2002, the inhabitants and user-groups have been busy with the renovation of this monumental school building from 1907 into an ecological freespace. The majority of the classrooms and the enormous attic are being modified into living and working spaces. When finished, there will be room for an approximate 35 inhabitants and dozens of small enterprises including a childrens museum and workspace already in operation. We had the opportunity to speak with Hans and Aart from the Pyr who provided insight into the negotiations, strategy and planning of the project and lead us on a tour through this amazing building.

A short film of the visit was made by Jup de Heer and will be screened in the near future at the Poortgebouw.