Future Housing
Due to the increase of elderly people and their wish to live home as long as possible, this project investigates the opportunity of creating a multiple generation house. On a former industrial area, a program is realized which will be defined by living, working and recreation. This divers program and the strong connection with the city centre results in an appealing area for many users of diverse generations.
Location Spaarnwoudebuurt, Noord-Holland
Area 3000 m²
Function Residential, retail, recreation
Context analysis
The urban tissue of Haarlem is primarily formed by the river the Spaarne which runs through Haarlem and divides it in a east and west part. Along the Spaarne the curved building blocks follow. In the direction of the river lays the infrastructure which divides the building blocks and allows views towards the river. These elements form together the secondary structure of the building location. Zooming into the building location alongside the Houtmarkt shows the circular structure in which the buildings are positioned towards the Spaarne.
Contextual transformations
The ambition is to create a vibrant location where activity is visible during the day and evening. With this the east side of Haarlem becomes part of the popular west side of the city centre. For this a pedestrian friendly area is required by redirecting the traffic from the busy Amsterdamsvaart to Oudeweg and by introducing water and green in the Oostersingel Canal and the Papentorenvest.
Architectural additions
Two types of houses are designed: the working houses (left) and the multiple generations houses (right). To achieve enough privacy in an area with a high residential density, the atrium* as an architectural element is used. This means that the roof can also be used for the light entrance. With this element two types of housing are created: the working house and the multiple generation house. The working houses is occupied by business owner that have the possibility to live above their shop. The multiple generation house offers an opportunity for families to live and take care of their elderly family members.
*Hung. W. International Journal on Engineering Performance- Based Fire Codes, Volume 5, Number 4, p. 131-137, 2003