de condor

48 Park Edge Dwellings | Hoogvliet |  the Netherlands

Project De Condor was part of Hoogvliet’s turn-of-the-century plans to improve the tarnished image of the district. Hoogvliet qualified as a disadvantaged area and faced deterioration and social anxiety. Of its old housing stock, 40 per cent was to be demolished to make room for new, contemporary social housing and a park surrounding the district. De Condor is a park building with council housing at one of the park entrances. Starting from the initial challenge to realize a block of council houses on top of a parking garage, a building idiom was sought that would show the location to advantage. A detached building in a park.

Double-height columns instead of a ground-level parking garage, allowing views of the park beyond; parking beneath the building, somewhat hidden behind the greenery. The organization of the building is clear and simple. From a central hall, eight apartments per floor are accessed through galleries. Bands that safeguard against falls from galleries and balconies circle the building to create the façade. The recessed façade is simple yet sumptuous due to the large sliding doors. The choice to have the bands encircle the building and thus be its ‘face’ made it possible to realize the recessed façade at very low costs, because it is subordinate to the appearance of the building. A building with a unique character was realized within a tight construction budget.