Strikingly large Upstairs is not; Remarkable and striking certainly is

But what do you do when the square footage of this special place is limited anyway? "Then you design a building that stands out for its striking appearance. 

Paleiskwartier is a large-scale development in 's-Hertogenbosch in which an industrial site is being transformed into a residential area. The Upstairs apartment building is part of this and is located where two directions in the urban plan meet. "This determined the shape of the building," says Geert Bosch, architect of HILBERINKBOSCH architects. "So on the first floor, Upstairs follows the directions of the streets. Because the building volume was somewhat small compared to the surrounding buildings, we opted for spectacle. Above Bordeslaan, Upstairs has a huge cantilever." Upstairs has 10 residential floors, 63 apartments and 3 commercial spaces.

A constructive challenge

As understandable as this choice was, the accumulation of forms created cantilevers of nearly 12 meters. And those who chose spectacle are not going to solve this by placing an obvious column underneath. "We tackled this structural challenge by making the side wall load-bearing," Bosch says. "We gave the building so much weight that it could act as a counterweight. Also because of this design, the building did not have a back. They are all front facades, with the same materials, light colors and friendly windows, interspersed here and there with loggias and balconies in different sizes."

Appealing to all ages

To bring human scale to the building, HILBERINKBOSCH architects chose an entrance that makes the building approachable in every way. The large spacious entrance is located at the corner of the building and stands out. "A nice place to meet," he says. Once inside, visitors encounter a residential building with a mix of sizes. The apartments range from 35 to 160 m². Bosch: "We did this to appeal to a broad target group. We now know that this has succeeded. The residents come from all age groups."

The light, fresh brick, the playful variety in the facades and the variety of sizes have made Upstairs a building that, although small in scale, is very complete. It attaches itself almost organically to the nearby downtown and - despite its short existence - is already a household name.  

Construction Info

Client
BV Development Company
Palace Quarter

Architect
HILBERINKBOSCH architects,
's-Hertogenbosch

Development
SDK Vastgoed BV, Eindhoven

Realization 
Van de Ven Construction and Development, Tilburg