Stepped facade provides natural light and generous outdoor spaces

With Hyde Park in Hoofddorp, an office district is being transformed into a car-free and gas-free residential area with metropolitan allure. Kensington, designed by Barcode Architects, is one of the first blocks in this development and sets the standard, with progressive architecture and different facade finishes. De Vries en Verburg is building 233 luxury apartments in various sizes, with generous outdoor spaces. 

Hyde Park will be on the site of the former Beukenhorst-West office park, located next to Hoofddorp NS railway station. WKO wells will be struck for the entire development so that the neighborhood can be developed gas-free. The design is characterized by a diversity of homes, which vary in height and form an architectural ensemble that goes beyond the traditional building block. Barcode Architects has experimented with both heights and roof form, allowing a courtyard garden and stepped facades to provide plenty of skylight and generous outdoor spaces. This results in a wide range of housing types to suit a diverse group of buyers.

Construction method

Kensington is the first block of Hyde Park, and De Vries en Verburg is the main contractor. "We entered the picture during the development of the DO; this means that the quality of the plan was not compromised and we were able to optimize the construction method and logistics," says project manager Ronald van Klaren. "In the past, De Vries en Verburg and developer Snippe Projecten have already worked well together on large projects, such as Holland Park in Diemen. So we know what we can gain from each other." The contractor began foundation work in late November 2020. "A poured-in-place parking basement has been constructed to which the ground has been excavated four meters. The courtyard will have hollow-core slabs and the shell will be constructed with wide slab floors and concrete walls. The HSB inner leaf will be included in the structural shell. We have two tower cranes at our disposal and the building will be fully steepled."

EPC

A conscious choice: the Kensington building block consists of seven "houses" with different facade finishes, such as stucco, stone strips, natural stone and traditional masonry. "You can then opt for prefabricated construction and associated assembly methods, but that was not possible in all cases," Van Klaren continues. "That's why the building is completely stoned." Kensington was worked out in Revit, with linked models from structural engineer and installation consultant. The installations are incorporated out of sight as much as possible (for example, in floors). An EPC of 0.4 is achieved with the help of a WKO, supported by WTW and solar panels. "We think that with a fully bimmed building, which means that clashes have been dealt with as much as possible in the engineering phase, we will be able to make pace in the execution. We are now on the second floor with shell construction (mid-October 2021; ed.); end of second quarter of 2023 we hope to deliver."