It is at the old industrial area near the city center of Delft where the Haringlocation is situated. Named after the former technical trade distribution center, the location along the southwest area of neighborhood Delftzicht is the final piece of the masterplan that Steenhuis Bukman Architecten designed in the 90s (commissioned by AM, formerly Mabon). Besides tackling the urban design, the firm was also largely involved with the architectural process of the buildings alongside the river Schie, on the embankment of which Johannes Vermeer painted the famed “View of Delft” in 1661. Almost 30 years later the firm was once again selected to design the final piece of Delftzicht.
The project consists of a stacked block alongside the street Engelsestraat with rental apartments on the upper floors while facilities are situated on the ground floor. Along the Laan van Braat street oriented to the north are single-family homes, while the south façade houses both single-family homes and housing for both working and living. These mixed-use houses are oriented towards the a busy cycling route along the Abtswoudseweg, leading to the Technical University Delft campus.
The overall design is composed of a diverse array of typologies with suitable building heights. The apartments oriented towards the west consists of five layers, with commercial spaces and amenities located on the ground floor. The mix-use houses for working and living are comprised of four levels with the living room and outdoor space situated on the 1st floor, whereas the single-family homes have three layers. The composition is tied together with a cohesive use of materials, utilizing a high-quality brick in combination with aluminum windows. The embedded windows with varying depths throughout the façade provide a composition that binds the typologies together.
Sustainability is a core principle within the overall design process. For instance, the bricks utilized in the façade are partially built by using a dry stacking method developed by Drystack, with the intent for them to be fully circular in the future. In the traditional brickwork portion, there was looked at utilizing the quarter bat bricks in the overall façade to reduce material waste. The houses are provided with solar panels, energy efficient installations and a optimally insulated façade. The inner courtyard provides parking for residents under a carefully integrated pergola but also houses electric shared cars.
Green roofs in combination with solar panels are implemented throughout the entire project. The green roofs along with the integrated green façade provide a pleasant atmosphere and an esthetically pleasing scene. It also introduces climate adaptive aspects, as the plants retain water and provide cooling in the atmosphere. The diverse array of vegetation also assists in the overall biodiversity within the project. The building is both sustainable and nature inclusive as it not only houses integrated housing for bats, sparrows and swallows, but also utilizes integrated bee-bricks.
