De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeDe Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeDe Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Image 4 of 19De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Image 5 of 19De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - More Images+ 14

  • Project Architect: Eva Heldeweg, Arnoud Stavenuiter, Joost van Bergen
  • Client: Jebber
  • Advisor Constructor: CAE Nederland
  • Advisor Installations & Building Physics: VIAC
  • Bim Coordinator: Menno Mekes
  • City: Utrecht
  • Country: The Netherlands
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De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Sebastian van Damme

Text description provided by the architects. Arons & Gelauff architects designed a Tiny Forest full of starter homes for campus De Kwekerij in Utrecht, Netherlands: colorful, sustainable, and affordable due to a smart layout.

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Sebastian van Damme
De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Sebastian van Damme

Developer Jebber, a subsidiary of “Stichting Studentenhuisvesting”, develops living space for young starters. This also includes De Kwekerij, a former KPN plot in Utrecht near the Diakonessen Hospital and the HKU. After one solid residential block had already been placed, Arons and Gelauff architects were asked to arrange the rest of the campus, including apartments.

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Image 15 of 19
Site plan

The original plan was to place several of these massive blocks. The site also contained the remains of an underground atomic bunker, which was intended to be removed. We conceived the plan of a Tiny Forest: six colorful, slender residential towers that fit much more within the campus idea. The bunker was spared in that plan and, as a pond, became a central point in the area.

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Sebastian van Damme

We designed slender towers with four 45 m² apartments on each floor. To work efficiently, they were highly standardized and rationalized: in fact, there are only two types of homes. When centralizing the technology within the residential tower proved possible, the technical space in the home was omitted, creating a beautiful floor plan with efficient access. The collapse of pipes is largely prevented, and as a result, the concrete can be cleanly recovered in the future during demolition. Only the concrete skeleton was built on site; kitchens, bathrooms, stairs, and facade were prefabricated and placed.

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, Cityscape
© Sebastian van Damme

Monique van Loon, director of Jebber: “I think Arons & Gelauff architects are very good puzzlers who find solutions for small homes. This way, all these homes are corner apartments, making them very light inside and not looking into each other's bedrooms. What they also did smartly is ensure that there is little traffic space in the buildings; there are no large halls.”

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Facade, Cityscape
© Sebastian van Damme
De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Image 5 of 19
© Sebastian van Damme
De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Image 4 of 19
© Sebastian van Damme

On the ground floor, there is a bicycle workshop, a small Cold War museum, a café, a restaurant, and common areas, among other things. We use the space in the former underground atomic bunker for buffering the rainwater. This creates a rainproof project, with the layout of the bunker remaining readable in the pond. By rotating the towers among themselves and coloring them differently, a lively image is created. The varying height of the towers allows good sunlight on the campus. We chose the facade colors from the flowering forms of the tree species that are planted around the buildings. Therefore, the greenery and buildings match perfectly.

De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten - Exterior Photography, Windows, Cityscape, Facade
© Sebastian van Damme

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Project location

Address:Burgemeester Annie Brouwerlaan 2, 3582 KT Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "De Kwekerij Apartments / Arons & Gelauff architecten" 10 Mar 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1014303/de-kwekerij-apartments-eden-district> ISSN 0719-8884

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