- Location: Venlo, The Netherlands
- Program: Housing
- Area: 9.139 m²
- Year: 2022 – …
- Status: In progress
Within Venlo, the Kazerne district has a rich history and has played an important role in the formation of the city. The stories of different eras find their place in the development of this area by presenting historical elements such as the old buildings and the fortification walls.
In order to further facilitate the formation of Venlo, this new development will bring the people of the city together, both professionally and personally. We achieve this by focusing on a diverse development program that puts the community at the center.
With the Delta development area, our focus is primarily on “living” in various typologies. A mix of 19 houses and 26 apartments will be created, with a ground level parking area that houses the gardens of the homes above. The houses are mainly oriented towards the city, while the apartments are divided into two volumes facing the park.
In order to enhance the central park of the Kazerne neighborhood, the edges of the development are largely built up to create sufficient mass. This provides a clear contrast between the building blocks while establishing a strong cohesion between the houses and apartments. In order to provide a smooth connection between the houses and the park, there is a passage from the gardens to the park, ensuring a certain permeability.
The houses are designed based on a repeating logical grid that accommodates the parking area. This module is broken only at the corners to create diversity in the façade. In order to increase the variation, the roof designs are approached in a playful way, creating a unique identity for each unit and breaking up the long facades. Finally, there are two lower volumes with flat roofs that connect the houses to the apartments, with important horizontal lines running through them to create a thoughtful visual connection.
The volume of the apartments is divided into two blocks instead of one, taking into account specific views from the surrounding area. By separating them, we introduce more openness into the project, which is further enhanced by the thoughtful angling of the volumes. This increases the distance between the volumes and strengthens the visual lines of sight. This approach ensures that the façade is dynamically interesting from every perspective and creates a contrast with the houses. This dynamism is accentuated by a slender interplay of beams and columns that consistently apply the angled design. This adds an intriguing play of shadows to an otherwise mundane facade.
This design continually seeks balance between the contrasting elements of hard and soft, light and dark, open and closed, rational and emotional, and more.