Terwijde

161 apartments & assisted living flats, parking & landscape, Utrecht
Public sector
Clients: Bo-Ex, Utrecht & Habion, Utrecht
2022 – 2028

In collaboration with Socialex Real Estate, we designed two residential blocks for two different housing associations. The southern block is specially designed for sheltered housing. Because social interaction is a key focus here, we proposed the “residential palazzo” type: a building surrounding a green courtyard. Residents can meet each other at the bicycle shed, the lift or in the communal meeting room. A similar layout is applied to the northern block, which contains homes for various households.

The two triangular buildings divide the site in two. Between the blocks is a car-free courtyard that connects the inner courtyards. This courtyard borders the poplar trees of Rijnkennemerlaan on the north side and a green square on the south side. The design is smart and cost-efficient. The galleries have been kept as short as possible. By repeating dwellings and placing lifts and stairs as prefabricated components in the atrium, the plan remained affordable. It is a clever solution that we found in historic palazzi in Naples.