ABSTRACT
The winner of a competition for 2,800 dwellings at 30 dwelling units/hectare, this project won on the combined merits of its urban design, architecture and participatory decision-making process. It is organized on four environmental levels: the overall urban plan, the tissue or urban design plan, the Support and the Infill. Regularly spaced openings are provided in the slabs for vertical mechanical chases and stairs within individual units. Large, subdivided window frames were part of a fixed design, but within each frame, tenants could select a variety of components and decide which parts should be transparent and which not, and where movable parts like doors and windows would go. The project incorporates many traditional elements of Dutch urban housing – pitched roofs, wooden windows, doors opening onto courtyards and some mixed use: the project incorporates doctor’s offices, small shops and commercial offices, even a motorcycle parts shop. Interiors and rooftop gardens reflect the personal preferences of residents.
