Helden van Gorkum

This design project consists of twenty-six residential units, located between Gorinchem’s historic centre and its green city walls.

 

In collaboration with Epicurus and Van Wijnen, we created a design for twenty-six residencies in Bagijnenwalstraat in Gorinchem. The original buildings were of mediocre quality and suffered from flooding due to their low construction height. In our design, the profile of the street is widened, and the houses are constructed at a higher level.

 

Liveliness and diversity

On the north side, four-story town houses have been built with living quarters on the first floor. Featuring large window openings, this layout makes maximum use of the character of the immediate surroundings, including Bagijnenwalstraat and the Bastion, a national monument.

 

The dwellings on the south side, oriented towards Bagijnenwalstraat and Lindenboom, restore the building block contour that had disappeared with the demolition of the original dwellings.

 

The town houses were inspired by the urban expansions of the early 1900s, in which streets were built in clusters of buildings. This results in a natural diversity of building masses. By ending the facades in a nuanced way, an urban mass with a lively roof contour is created. Due to openings of different sizes and positions, the façade of each house is slightly different.

 

In addition, French balconies and framing elements nuance the facade surface. We have incorporated various joints into the masonry, further refining the buildings’ exterior. A partially open masonry wall shields the gardens adjacent to the street, acting as a gentle barrier between public and private.

 

A green and homely atmosphere

The surroundings are as green as possible, with hedges at the front and moss sedum on the roofs of the sheds. Each house has a facade garden, grounding the buildings in the city centre.

 

Moreover, the sidewalks are widened and each of the town houses has its own private doorstep, stretching across the full width of the facade. Here, residents can place a garden bench and some flowerpots, resulting in a homely atmosphere and opportunities for meeting neighbours on the street.