In cooperation with Smits bouwbedrijf, VVKH has won the european tender to develop a new housingarea in district Dieperhout in Leiden. The project consists of 48 dwellings, 12 apartments and a care facility of 1500m². Start of the constructionwork is planned in may 2015, because thats when a current school will move to a new building and the site will be available.
| Architects | Ronald Knappers |
| Employees | Hans Schepman |
The site occupies a distinctive location on the corner of Kruisweg and Boslaan, close to the center of Hoofddorp. Behind the houses along Kruisweg currently lies a hidden world of warehouses and industrial buildings. This existing business area will be transformed into a residential neighborhood. At this point, the larger scale of developments such as Gemaalhuis and Hyde Park transitions into the smaller grain of detached houses along the historic axis of the Kruisweg, leading toward the town center.
The new residential area will be characterized by:
a green living environment;
being well-connected rather than isolated, integrated with the surrounding neighborhoods;
as many car-free living streets as possible;
parking accommodated within green courtyards;
slow-traffic routes (for pedestrians and cyclists) that connect with adjacent neighborhoods and create new visual corridors;
an architectural landmark along the Kagertocht, responding to the larger scale of Hyde Park, which lies diagonally opposite the site.
On the Boerhaave Campus, part of the Bio Science park in Leiden, the historical anatomy-building has been transformed into housing for Phd-students and researchers of the Leiden University. The new apartments are characterized by their high ceilings and old constructions. A small mezzanine is created to function as a bedroom. Right beside the existing building a new appartmentbuilding is erected, designed by Van Gameren of Mecanoo Architects. The total complex contains 166 apartments and is the first step in the complete transformation of the Boerhaave Campus.
On a triangular plot, where the historical Vlietweg diverts from canal the Vliet, VVKH designed a house based on experiencing the Vliet. Rough, brick walls engage each other, vaging what is inside and outside. Water and landscape are part of the house.
At the entrance you're being received in a yard with monumental trees. The aperture in the wall give a first glance of the Vliet. From the high entrance it's three steps up to enter the livingroom giving a panoramic view over the Vliet, but shielded from the road.The folding window opens completely and extents the livingroom straight to the edge of the water. A stair with cantilevered steps and a glass balustrade leads to the first floor.
In close consultation with the municipality of Leiden, VVKH has developed an urban development plan for the redevelopment of two office buildings on Verbeekstraat in Leiden. What is currently a densely populated area dominated by cars will soon become a vibrant, green, and people-friendly residential area. In line with the municipality's high-rise vision, several buildings will be added along Plesmanlaan, creating a new cityscape along this access road to the city. Together with the developments at the Bio Science Campus on the opposite side of the road, this will create a new and innovative urban district.
