Constructed in the same architectural idiom, but each one idiosyncratic

At the same time, they form a whole with the other buildings on Tesselschade Street. They speak the same architectural language. Or as the architect of the apartment buildings puts it, "There is unity in diversity.

The first ideas for residential towers A1 and A2 in the Vondel Parck in Leeuwarden date back to 2008. Back then, however, the economic crisis threw a spanner in the works, but in 2019 Slokker Vastgoed and Koopman Vastgoed picked up the idea again. TWA Architects developed the urban plan for the former landowners Van Der Klooster and created the design for 56 ground-level homes and 74 stacked homes. By matching the architectural style of the office buildings already present in the street, the Tesselschadestraat now forms a beautiful, architectural whole.

A residential look

Anyone who actually takes a look at Tesselschade Street will recognize the architectural style as classical. The closed facades, dark brick and vertical window openings are unmistakably part of the same classic idiom. "But even within this framework, there were still plenty of creative possibilities," says Doeke van Wieren, architect/owner of TWA Architects. "We wanted the towers to refer to the office function of the adjacent buildings while giving them a residential look. With the strikingly generous balconies and the large, bright entrance hall with a height of one and a half stories, it is now abundantly clear that this is where people live."

Larger and smaller apartments

On the inside, the residential towers are tailored to a mixed target group. TWA Architects opted for five apartments per floor. Van Wieren: "Four apartments are always situated on the corners. On the northern front, between the apartments is the stairwell, on the southern rear is a slightly smaller apartment between the corner apartments."

An attractive cover

A charming solution was devised by TWA Architects for the first floor of the towers. With an arcade between the ground level and the first floor, they created here a covered walkway reminiscent of a private zone. "It is yet another nod to the past and also a cover for the view of the unattractive storerooms and - in the upcoming tower A3 - the supermarket's storage rooms. Last but not least, thanks to the arcade, the residents of the ground-level apartments and the residential towers do not look in on each other."

Currently, the residential towers are under construction and the highest point has been reached at both towers. Towers A1 and A2 are expected to be ready for occupancy before the end of the year.  

Construction Info

Client Amvest, Leeuwarden
Design TWA Architects, Burdaard
Implementation Construction combination Friso-Koopmans (combination Koopmans Bouwgroep Enschede and Friso Bouwgroep Sneek)