Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
Construction is in full swing on the former Norfolk site in Scheveningen. Where there used to be a container yard, De Zuid is now being built: a neighborhood with four hundred homes and maritime businesses. The Zuidkade subproject is the most recently completed building. It is a robust residential complex with 42 apartments, designed by LEVS architects.
LEVS created the structural design for De Zuid in 2013 and has since been the coordinating and partial design architect in collaboration with various other architectural firms. Zuidkade is the third part of the plan and was designed jointly by LEVS and Zecc architects. Although the two parts of the building are different, good consultation between the architects has resulted in a beautiful cohesion.
The LEVS building section is a powerful statement at the head of the area. Its industrial character suits the rugged harbor environment. Its striking concrete architecture makes it one of now three accent buildings on the harbor. An overhang emphasizes the ensemble's prominence. Set-back seams provide rich shading. These enhance the concrete elements, while hiding any imperfections between them. A sleek image is the result. Around the corner, the building has a masonry facade with a monolithic character befitting the end building.
On the first floor, there is space for commercial and port-related businesses. The various residences are in the upper segment. They all feature a spacious balcony or roof terrace. The inner area is located on the deck of the parking garage. It functions as a meeting place and connects all plan sections of De Zuid. Storage areas with the look of beach houses and layered planting create an intimate atmosphere. Height differences have also been used in the high-quality finished entrance hall, creating magnificent views and a flowing passage from the quay to the garden side.
“The building is fantastically located with views over the harbor mouth, harbors, and sea. We were incredibly happy to be able to design such a prominent building here,” says Christiaan Schuit, architect and partner at LEVS architects. To ensure that residents can enjoy the view to the fullest, all apartments have large windows at the front and rear. Spacious six-meter-wide sliding doors offer a magnificent view of the surroundings. When these are open, residents experience their living room as an outdoor space by the sea. At the same time, the location also presented a technical challenge. Schuit: “The design carefully considered the forces of wind, water, and sand. The large windows, which enhance the view and the incidence of light, are constructed in such a way that the sliding parts are on the outside. Wind pressure then closes the window more securely. Rain and dirt are collected by integrated gutters and spouts in the concrete elements, which means that the concrete remains attractive for longer and the facades retain their robust appearance.”
The apartments are arranged around a smart and compact access core. This efficient structure allows for a rich variety of apartment floor plans, which can be modified in the future as desired. They are pass-through apartments ranging from eighty to two hundred square meters with different layouts. “Each apartment has its own character. We really had the space to make something beautiful out of it. It was a special project, so the professionals on the construction site enjoyed working on it. You can see that in the result,” said the architect.
