Description

Double row. This is part of an urban plan intended to refurbish the impoverished Scheldekaai industrial area along the banks of the Nederschelde. Although the ambitious urban planning scheme won the architects the competition, it has been realized only partially and thus the building stands alone at present.

It is divided into a principal row and a secondary row. The secondary row stacks garage and storage spaces at the bottom, children’s rooms above, and is topped by spacious roof terraces. The colorful principal row contains all remaining functions, the circulation area, and other apartments. The generous access (three stairwells and two lifts) is oriented towards the semi-public alley between the rows.

Small apartments with gardens, ideally suited for the elderly, are arranged on the ground floor. Large five-room apartments for families with children are on the second floor. A master bedroom, living room with balcony, kitchen, storage, and guest WC are grouped around the central bathroom. The three separate children’s bedrooms (with WC), all lined up side by side above the garages, are reached via a wood-clad bridge. The roof terrace is, in turn, reached by a stair parallel to this bridge.

On the third floor, one finds 2- and 3-room apartments with identical layouts. Their bridges open onto large roof terraces. Above are similar 3-room apartments with balconies. The western row, without lift, accommodates 2-room apartments (for singles) with large kitchens and two smaller rooms.

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Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.