Renewal of Bomenwijk neighborhood in Delft nears completion

Master plan optimized and developed

The large-scale renewal of Delft's Bomenwijk neighborhood is nearing completion after 15 years. The two most extensive phases were already completed in 2009, but due to the financial problems housing corporation Vestia found itself in, postponing the approach to the rest of the neighborhood became inevitable. Renovation resumed in 2020, with completion of the new homes scheduled for March 2023.

Together with the municipality of Delft, Vestia previously drew up a plan to renew the neighborhood in five phases. The first two phases were executed in 2009 by Van Wijnen Stolwijk, this construction company is now also taking care of phases 3 and 4. The lot for phase 5 has been sold by Vestia to an investor who will build another higher apartment building.
will realize.

Wider range

Last year, in consultation with the municipality, the Master Plan was optimized and further developed. During the optimization process we looked at smaller homes and more simplicity and repetition in the apartment buildings. For phases 3 and 4, a total of 190 homes were demolished, for which 147 are now being replaced. The new construction provides a wider range of housing types and rents. With the completion of the neighborhood renewal, Vestia says the Bomenwijk will become a mixed neighborhood, meeting the housing needs of different residents, such as starters, families and the elderly.

The new building will provide 74 social housing units, including 60 three- and four-bedroom apartments and 14 ground-floor units. In the private sector, there will be 28 two-story upstairs apartments and 31 two-story single-family homes. For care institution Ipse de Bruggen, there will be another 14 apartments for people with mental disabilities, a form of assisted living. The homes were designed by architecture firm Steenhuis Bukman.

Tunnel construction and balconies

"In September 2021, drilling of the wells for the WKO system began, as the homes will be gasless," said Martin van Cappellen, project manager at Van Wijnen Stolwijk. "The construction is fairly standard. The apartments are founded on precast piles with tunneling above them. The other dwellings are constructed of sand-lime brick and wide slab floors. The facades consist of Eternit sheeting and masonry. Structurally, the biggest challenge was the combination of tunneling and balconies. We suspended the balconies afterwards from a recess in the concrete. Then the connection was poured with a layer of 5 centimeters of concrete."

Neighbors to the front and rear

The biggest challenge, according to Van Cappellen, was building in an existing neighborhood. Arranging the construction transport in an orderly fashion required a lot of attention, while at the same time keeping the neighborhood accessible. "We have to take into account the residents, we have neighbors to the front and back. They have had a hard time in recent years, the neighborhood has three years to deal with the consequences of renewal. First there was demolition, then the civil works followed, now we are busy and soon there will be new paving, because the municipality is going to rearrange the streets in the neighborhood." Vestia has therefore created a sounding board group, in which Van Wijnen also participates. Van Cappellen: "This allows us to hear what is going on in the neighborhood. We also have personal contact with the residents to manage the construction process well."