Design brief

ENCEHA 1, GRONINGEN

Groningen is the capital city of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. With a population of 185.000, it is by far the largest city in the north of the Netherlands. Groningen is a university city, inhabited on average by about 50.000 students.
The site is thematically related to the thirty locations chosen for the manifestation “Intense Low Rise”, which took place in 2009.
‘Design houses with their own exterior area by means of which we can make the best possible use of unexploited locations in the city.’ That was the assignment, stunningly concise, that the Municipality of Groningen issued for the Intense Low Rise manifestation.
It had to concentrate on low rise and each house had to have its own exterior space, such as a garden, roof garden or a loggia, an exterior space in the apartment itself. The houses had to have an entrance at ground level or at a higher surface level if appropriate. In this context, one can think of a new apartment above an existing house. Whatever the case, the available ground had to be used smartly and sparingly. At ground level, space could be used for working at home if required. The municipality did not impose a maximum on the number of storeys.
Houses with their own exterior area, yet an intensive use of the ground: the city requested intense low rise. Low rise was chosen because a house with a garden or another exterior area is a much-desired residential form, also in the city of Groningen. And it had to be ‘intense’ because Groningen wishes to remain a compact city. The scarce space in the city must be consumed as efficient as possible. Only in this way, the city can remain lively and attractive, and Groningen will not have to build so many houses on the city periphery.

After the Intense City presentation (2004), Groningen again manifests itself with INTENSE LAAGBOUW (Intense Low Rise), initiated in May 2008, as a principal who wishes to stimulate thought and idea-forming on the densification of the city. Groningen wishes to make intensive and sustainable use of its limited amount of space. Accordingly, the assignment to the architects, property developers and housing associations was: research whether or not we in Groningen can develop new kinds of typically urban ground-oriented houses, houses whose storeys connect to ground level, with an entrance at street level or at a higher surface level if appropriate, with their own exterior space.

Sustainability

Groningen wishes to become the most sustainable city in the Netherlands. Intense low rise can contribute to this, by using sustainable materials and by designing energy-saving houses. Moreover, compact construction in the existing city can contribute to a reduction in car traffic.

Historical examples

Intense Low Rise is not a 21st-century invention. For example, the Groningen almhouses Pelstergasthuis and Pepergasthuis are medieval examples of intense low-rise. The Oosterpoort neighbourhood, built at the end of the nineteenth century, and the new neighbourhood of De Linie, recently finished, are good examples of dense, low and intense construction.
Intense Low Rise is thus part of a tradition. The fifty designs demonstrate how Groningen can renew its own tradition. All these projects can be found in the following book:

“Intense Laagbouw | Woningbouw in hoge dichtheden” by Niek Verdonk, Erik Dorsman, Dick van Gameren and Paul Kuitenbrouwer
ISBN: 9 789071 903236; publisher: G.R.A.S., Groningen; available at Waltman’s Bouwshop

Site

The “enceha 1” site for this design assignment is located west of the city centre, just inside the circular highway to the west and facing the Hoendiep directly to the north.
“Enceha 2” will be developed further with the emphasis on educational buildings (extension of Augustinus College, municipal monument). A road connecting to the Suikerunie area further westbound devides enceha in two. This road will serve as a connector to the Suikerunie area and as an access road for enceha 1 and enceha 2. East of enceha we find a 1930’s neighbourhood as well as futher industrial premises facing the Hoendiep. Enceha could fill the gap between existing older housing neighbourhoods. Existing trees and ecological zone are to be incorporated in your proposal. All premises towards the highway are protected by an existing sound barrier, 8m tall. In real, furthermore up to 60m, the facades facing the highway or due to be ‘deaf’ facades. In case the sound barrier is taken away, the entire façade is due to become a deaf facade. However, in the case of our design assignment, we can consider the highway traffic noise reduced by means of a covering feature, which means we consider the conditions for housing facing the highway normal. An existing villa (a state monument) and an electricity subdistribution station are to be incorparated in your design proposal.

High accent

Although the aim of this manifestation is to achieve a low and dense community, the municipality allows a higher accent in the building mass in order to maximize the amount of dwellings, so in our case we develop a Intense High Dense area instead of Intense Low rise.