The urban feel in a village area 

In the municipality of Pijnacker-Nootdorp, an area development in which housing, travel and nature meet was launched in mid-March. Next to the metro station Pijnacker Zuid there will be about 330 homes, a mobility hub and a special green outdoor area. High time to look ahead to this beautiful project with Rob Langerak and Bob Buskens of Dura Vermeer.

Village feel with an urban touch 

New construction project WijCK has the village qualities of Pijnacker, with an urban touch: "We combine the village feeling of 'us knows us' with the liveliness of the city," says Buskens. "There are public spaces where people can meet, such as a central square, a park and inviting places to drink coffee. There will also be a multicourt where people can play soccer or basketball. It remains a neighborhood in a village, but you feel and see the urbane qualities and features. With design firms WE architects, ZUS, Studio Komma and MEESVISSER, a challenging and appealing design has been made for the residential buildings and public space."

Biodiversity and nature inclusiveness 

After the municipality of Pijnacker-Nootdorp definitively awarded the development and realization of WijCK to Dura Vermeer, the firm was able to get to work on its plan for the development project. As developer and builder, the family-owned company is involved in it from start to finish. "On the site there will be four buildings with about 330 homes. The majority of the homes will be social housing and affordable rental or for-sale housing. There are also homes in the higher price segment. In addition to a lively new station square, there will be a mobility hub where there will be space for residents and travelers to park their cars," Buskens said.

Because parking is solved centrally, space is created to create a car-free area in which greenery takes center stage. By extending the nearby nature and recreation area the Groenzoom into the residential area in the landscape design, the local nature is further strengthened.

"In the project, we focused on our ambition to enhance existing biotopes. Thus, we have taken into account a versatile, native planting that is not only beautiful year-round, but also a source of food for local wildlife. There will also be nesting boxes for various target species and much attention will be paid to preventing heat stress. All roofs will have vegetation with water retention. The mobility hub will have a field of solar panels to generate renewable energy," Buskens said. "In this way, climate adaptation, nature inclusiveness and biodiversity are given an important role."

From ambition to reality: a model neighborhood for the Netherlands

The municipality and Dura Vermeer have big ambitions for this project: "We are not only building housing, but developing the area as a whole," says Langerak. "Dura Vermeer's strength is that it has all facets of area development in-house, from biologists and market analysts to concept developers and land specialists. Together with a large number of specialist agencies involved in architecture, urban planning and landscape, among other things, we strive for high spatial quality. Precisely because of the integral approach to development, in which we combine a sustainable mobility solution with a green landscaped residential environment, WijCK will become a model neighborhood for the Netherlands!"