Great diversity of housing in Bethel Park

On the site of the former Bethel hospital on the edge of the center of Delft, the new residential neighborhood Bethelpark is under construction. With a very mixed residential program totaling 351 homes, Bethelpark meets the needs of different target groups. It involves 337 apartments in the social and medium rental sector and 14 single-family homes in the free rental sector.

Bethelpark is a unique location, according to project manager Arnoud Koppe of contractor Van Wijnen Dordrecht. "What is special about this location is that on the north side it borders an urban environment including the new Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis and on the south side an ecological green area. The starting point for the design was the idea 'the front door to the city, the back door into nature'."

Urban character

The new residential neighborhood, designed by Powerhouse Company, is therefore urbanized in two residential blocks in a green, park-like and climate-adaptive environment. The residential block on the north side along Reinier de Graafweg has an urban character with higher apartment buildings. The architecture of this wall matches the design and materials of the adjacent new Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis. The higher buildings also prevent noise pollution from the traffic in the green courtyard. On the first floor there is space for commercial and social facilities that connect to the care provided by the hospital. 

Raised green interior area

The southern residential block with lower blocks and the single-family homes marks the transition to an existing residential neighborhood and to the ecological zone that is being created here around a watercourse. Both residential blocks have raised green interior areas; these deck gardens also form the roof of the parking facility at ground level. Based on a design by LAP Landscape & Urban Design, the deck gardens are laid out with lawn and grasses; the homes have a private outdoor space on the deck where a border with hedges provides privacy. The deck gardens are easily accessible thanks to a number of stairs and are connected to the ecological zone by an embankment. In this way, nature is brought into the block. The street separating the 2 residential blocks forms a clear line of sight to the entrance of the hospital.

Particularly sustainable development

The homes range in size between 54 and 122 square meters and have 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. All apartments feature outdoor space in the form of a balcony or loggia. The homes have fully equipped kitchens and bathrooms and have now been purchased by housing corporation Woonbron and investor Bouwinvest. "This is a particularly sustainable development with very low-energy homes, which will be equipped with a sustainable energy system (WKO installation)," says Koppe "PV panels will be installed on all roofs. What makes the project special is that excess heat from the hospital will be used to heat the homes. A separate transformer room will be built for that purpose within this project. The proximity to the hospital also has its implications for our construction methods. For example, precast concrete piles were used and a section was constructed with piles formed in the ground, to reduce vibrations in connection with the adjacent rehabilitation clinic."    

Bethel park raised in two streams of tunnels

As a fixed relation of Van Wijnen Dordrecht, Casco Bouw Nederland was involved in the Bethelpark project at an early stage. From the second floor onwards, this project has been carried out by Casco Bouw Nederland in tunnel construction.

"Our commitment was to achieve an optimal working method," says director Jan Hokse. "Given the size of the project, the construction time and the space available on the construction site, we opted for two tunnel streams that largely overlap in time. That requires the necessary organization. Because you are working in two different places at the same time, you have to look carefully at the layout of your construction site. For each tunnel flow, we deliver one nave per day, with an extremely wide tunnel size of 8.15 meters wide and 18 meters deep for the apartments. That's not an everyday occurrence." The advantage of tunnel construction is that a floor is cantilevered the very day after pouring. The HSB facade elements are installed immediately and the building is thus quickly wind and watertight.

Construction Info

Client Borghese Real Estate, Nijkerk
Architect Powerhouse Company, Rotterdam
Urban design LAP Landscape & Urban Design, Rotterdam
Contractor Van Wijnen Dordrecht
Constructor TWP Engineering Office for Building Structures
W installations De Kraan Installatietechniek B.V.
E-installations HoffmanDME Techniek B.V.
CHP plant Roodenburg
Construction period February 2021 - construction period 2023