Housing on the Spicastraat

Groningen, The Netherlands

In the Paddepoel quarter of Groningen, 39 houses have been realized on an attractive green zone along the Reitdiep Water. To allow the green park to continue uninterupted as much as possible, the construction have been kept very compact. The exterior spaces of the houses are within the blocks so that the green zone can extend onward, unbroken.

The houses have been accommodated in three compact blocks. Within these blocks, the houses are oriented around a deck that enables sheltered and secluded parking facilities on the one hand, and a semi-public space giving access to all the houses and connecting to the park and the Reitdiep, on the other.

The dimensions of the total volume of the block are based entirely on the construction system. The floor plans have been optimized and are largely flexible in terms of layout due to the fact that the bay measurements dovetail with the parking facilities on the one hand, and with the construction-logical dimensions, on the other.

On the south side of the block there is a row of three-storey houses with a private roof garden oriented toward the park. The other row has two-storey houses that have their private exterior space on the living deck.

The houses are oriented toward the greenery and space of the park, and to collective living on the deck. All houses are connected to the ground, with a storage space / entrance and sleeping functions on the ground floor. The living functions are situated on the first floor: a living room on the park and a kitchen on the deck.

The two rows of houses are linked by means of a super-structure containing a gateway house. This construction turns the housing complex into an abstract block and accentuates the entrance to the parking facility and the deck.

The sculptural blocks are equipped with a largely grey-tinted brickwork façade with red-brown accents. On each layer, the windows have their own rhythm that is related to the living programme behind them. The openings have been given emphasis by integrating the windows, lintels and awnings in a frame. The colour scheme of the frames harmonizes with that of the brickwork. As a result, the blocks display high-quality detailing, material and colour patterns.