DUWO to build ‘student palazzo’ in Kenniskwartier

On the top three floors of the 30 m high block of housing, there will be 42 of these STING apartments. Measuring just 18 sq. m., they are hardly spacious, but this is offset by the large communal space complete with kitchen on the same floor. They also have their own bathroom and mini-kitchen, and therefore their own address, which means it is possible to apply for housing benefit. De Jong: ‘An attractive rent combined with the sociability of a student house – it’s the best of both worlds.’

The bottom floor, the plinth at street level, might even be buzzing with activity. To enable this, Mei architects and planners have designed a multifunctional space, with room for such things as a launderette and bicycle storage facility. It will also include a commercial area that could be used in various ways, for example as a ‘bike bar’, where you can have your bike repaired. ‘The space has been designed to be as transparent as possible, creating an automatic connection between the various functions in the plinth’, explains architect Geert Krusemann. ‘As you enter the building from Hildegard von Bingenstraat, you can also already see the lovely green Florence Pricehof at the rear.’

The architects have also come up with something for the exterior. The front of the building in Von Bingenstraat (the street running diagonally on the map) has a solid, urban look, with window frames of different depths that are not quite parallel to each other, shifting the perspective slightly upwards. The closer you get to the front of the building, the more refined it appears to be. According to Krusemann, the idea was borrowed from the Italian architect Scarpa: ‘From a distance, all you can see is a building, a big rectangular shape on the ground. Slightly closer up, you can see how refined the material on the façades really is. And when you’re face-to-face with it, you suddenly notice all kinds of unusual details, in the glazed ceramic tiles, for example. We’re designing them together with an artist, something we already have a lot of experience with.’

By contrast, the rear of the building will look much more informal. The façade will feature setbacks, slight recesses in it that create space for planters and nest boxes – what could be better than waking up to the sound of birds chirping? The cladding will also be made of materials like bamboo, built using circular methods as far as possible. What is Krusemann’s thinking behind this? ‘A building’s main structure can last for up to 150 years, but the façades deteriorate much faster. That’s why everything will be attached mechanically, without any adhesive or other binders. That makes things easier to remove.’