ARC gives a playful approach to designing apartment complexes. Located in Zoetermeer, a town in the heart of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands, ARC Rokkeveen was designed by Global Architects and co-developed with Wonen à la Carte. The building consists of 15 apartments designed by the buyers and the architects together in co-commissioning. Co-commissioning is a process in which future residents participate in decision-making about their home together with the architect, the developer and the construction company.
Typology
ARC Rokkeveen is a small-scale apartment complex, developed in Co-Commissioning (MO).
Size
15 Apartments, BVO 2000 m2
Project team
Arthur Nuss, Tomáš Beránek, Jony Nederend, Kallia Theodoraki and Dennis Lazurka
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Inspirational map
To begin with, Global Architects designed an inspirational floor plan for each typology. From that floor plan, the buyers could work further with the architect to design the layout of their apartment step by step.
“The inspiration map that we received showed an open floor plan with the kitchen connected with the living room,” says one of the residents. “However, we wanted to do without an extra room. By removing the dividing wall, a suitable space was created to be used as a kitchen which enlarged our combined living and kitchen area. We also opted for an extra wide balcony to have enough space to place a lounge set. Both ideas were accepted and the house is now exactly as we wanted.”
Besides the layout of the home, residents were able to choose from a number of options for the facade layout and the
size of the outdoor spaces. As a result, people influence the architectural appearance of the building. Cantilevered
balconies give the facade plasticity, strengthening the identity and legibility of the facade.
materialization
The ground floor is made of mat black brick and the three layers above are clad in olive-coloured brick. This contrast gives the building a clear plinth and the superstructure appears to ‘float’. Additionally, weathered wood was chosen as a second material for the facades. This wood is playfully used vertically in the facade panels and horizontally in the planters, creating an interesting effect.
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The apartments vary in size between 60m² to 120m² and penthouses have an area of 150m² each. All apartments are suitable to be used as life-long homes and have private outdoor areas. The balconies vary in size depending on the position of the apartment and the specific wishes of the buyers.
On an urban scale the building respects its surroundings and fits within the small scale of the neighborhood; The 4-storey north-western facade refers to the adjacent existing 8-storey apartment complex while the lower 3-storey south-eastern facade connects to the single-family homes located on the other side of the building.
The private verandas on the ground floor are 30cm higher than the public greenery. This creates a friendly distinction between the public and private outdoor space. The balconies have a fairly open character due to the use of planters as boundary dividers, which give liveliness towards the street and provide the building with much needed greenery. A small atrium in the heart of the building brings ample natural daylight into the communal circulation areas.
BENG
ARC Rokkeven will be a BENG-certified apartment complex. A number of interventions have contributed to this: panels with photovoltaic cells have been installed on the roof that generate solar energy. To reduce energy consumption, the houses are well insulated by high-quality insulation material and the use of HR +++ glass. Outdoor sun protection and floor cooling ensure that the homes have a pleasant indoor climate, even in summer.
Hetty and Peter de Graaf of appartment 4: ‘Depending on the number of square meters of floor space you want, you choose the position of the house in the complex. For us that was 60m2 on the second floor. In a personal conversation with Global Architects, we determined the layout of the house, completely according to our personal wishes.’ As an example, Hetty mentions, “On the inspiration floor plan we received, the kitchen was drawn in the living room. However, we did not want an extra room next to the living room. By leaving out the partition wall, we created a suitable space to furnish as a kitchen. We also opted for an extra-wide terrace to have enough space to place a lounge set. Both ideas were granted, so the house is now exactly as we wished.
