How do we make ‘cosy’ new?
Heart of the Waalsprong
The Heart of the Waalsprong is the amenities centre of the new residential area of Nijmegen north of the Waal, near Lent. It should become the missing link between Nijmegen North and the city centre and will include approximately 11,500 m2 of commercial space as well as 500 homes. The assignment consisted of giving the amenities centre the character of a ‘town’, including the accompanying pleasant atmosphere.De Zwarte Hond designed both the urban plan and the shopping area, along with the apartment blocks Donk and Elft delivered in phase 1. In phase 2 the Grutto apartment block was completed. In total, the project comprises 267 homes, of which 97 are social housing flats. A primary school with childcare facilities and a library is still under development. The landscape design is by De Urbanisten. The remaining housing was designed by architects LoD, Monadnock, Korth Tielens, and Atelier BRINK.
The central city square is the beating heart of the development. This is where you find the bigger shops and the food and drink offering. It’s the place for everyday and special events and a meeting place par excellence. The district is climate-adaptive. From the central city square, a green route with ‘wadi’ valley takes the visitor via squares and gardens to the River Waal, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding area. The cyclist and pedestrian are central throughout the plan and there is a good connection to the public transport network. The architecture builds on the traditional brick architecture of Nijmegen.
data
- Location
- Nijmegen, NL
- Size
- 6.7 ha
- Client
- AM, VanWonen, Portaal
- Discipline
- Architecture, Urban Design
- Program
- Housing, Master Planning, Retail
- Period
- 2017-2025
- Status
- Completed
- Photography
- Eva Bloem, Maartje Brand, Jeroen Musch
- Partners
- Dura Vermeer bouw Hengelo, Hendriks Bouw en Ontwikkeling, Janssen de Jong bouw, De Urbanisten, LoD, Monadnock, KorthTielens, AtelierBRINK
Nijmegen
Heart of the Waalsprong
A heart with a connection between form and function
To the north of the Waal in Nijmegen, a huge new residential area is being built: the Waalsprong. For this residential area, a facilities centre was required that would have the characteristics of a cosy small town.
This kind of statement is not unique. In the Netherlands, shopping centres are being built in many Vinex neighbourhoods with architecture that suggests a classic, historically developed whole. Unfortunately, this almost always results in a fake façade architecture, in which the image and the underlying programme have no relationship to each other. Of course, things can be done differently.
Model of the new facilities centre
Site map
The architects involved
Facet map
The central city square is the beating heart of the new residential area
Architectural elements
Brick detailing
Nijmegen Brick Architecture with Subtle Details
The residential blocks Donk, Elft, and Grutto, designed by De Zwarte Hond, are located on the central shopping square and combine retail with housing. Smart design choices have broken down the large volumes into smaller parts, making them better suited to the scale of the surroundings and everyday use. This was achieved through careful consideration of plot layout, the stacking of functions, recessed façades and additional floors, material selection, and distinctive elements in the streetscape. A striking example is the main entrance of the Grutto: located in the monumental gate on the square, it leads into a sculptural staircase with an ornamental balustrade.
Rich Residential Floor Plans
A home lasts much longer and is better cared for when its residents form a strong attachment to it. Take, for example, the 1930s house, with its generous use of en-suite doors, built-in cupboards, and refined detailing. In Out There #4 Floor Plans, Hart van de Waalsprong is presented as an example of ‘richer’, one of the eight design values. With a few seemingly simple ingredients—such as generous façade length, circulation possibilities, and multiple spacious balconies—the floor plans in Grutto are made richer, and therefore enduringly attractive.
