Regulateur

Groningen, NL

How can you live a green life in an urban environment?

Groningen

Gruno

The Regulateur is part of the Grunobuurt, where De Zwarte Hond is also responsible for the urban development plan and the design of the already completed Typhoon and Tractie apartment blocks. This building is the result of a close and long-term collaboration between Nijestee, De Zwarte Hond and Trebbe, with the aim of making living even healthier and happier.

Groningen’s Grunobuurt has been under renovation for two decades. In 2016, housing company Nijestee, architecture firm De Zwarte Hond and developer Trebbe joined forces to renew the building, design and development process.

Throughout the process, every aspect is transparent to all the parties, allowing them to make adjustments together if necessary. Where, in a traditional process, good ideas often come too late and fail, here there is room for innovation. This approach should result in high-quality, affordable housing in an inclusive neighbourhood.

The collaboration in Grunobuurt is based on a shared ambition: to make people happier.

By locating parking for residents in a central car park in the neighbourhood…

space has been created, allowing the courtyard to become an inner garden…

…around which people live.

The facade, with its rhythm of openings, is repeated around the block, with loggias at the corners.

The higher you are in the building, the greater the light and views. This is reflected in the facade image with wide windows at the bottom and narrower windows at the top.

Brickwork principles
Together with the Strating brick factory, we created a special brick for the Regulateur. The brickwork has flush mortar joints, creating an interesting block bond that emphasizes the ‘fade’ pattern of the facade. The frames around the windows are made from standard 100 mm deep bricks, and recessed surfaces use shallower 70 mm deep bricks.

© Eva Bloem

Over time, vegetation will grow along the façades on the inner sides of the building.

Regulateur

The Regulateur is a compact residential building with 105 apartments arranged around a courtyard garden. There are 79 social rental apartments and 26 mid-market rental apartments. Typologically, the design is based on Groningen’s traditional hofjes (almshouses). In addition to the greenery in the courtyard garden, greenery will also grow up along the inner façades. All the housing types are oriented towards this inner garden by positioning the outdoor space on this side. In addition to the living space, the extra-high ground floor provides space for two social and commercial spaces that will boost the neighbourhood, as well as shared bicycle storage.

The stepped residential building ranges from three to seven storeys and features unique brickwork that appears to consist of a repeated header bond. The rooftops are covered with sedum in combination with solar panels. Parking is solved centrally in the neighbourhood in a parking garage. This has created space for a garden in the courtyard with lots of greenery, a wadi to store rainwater and places to spend time and meet other residents.

The Regulateur is part of the Grunobuurt, where De Zwarte Hond is also responsible for the urban development plan and the design of the previously completed Typhoon and Tractie apartment blocks. This building is the result of a close and long-term collaboration between Nijestee, De Zwarte Hond and Trebbe, with the aim of making living even healthier and happier.

data

Location
Groningen, NL
Size
9.942 m²
Client
Nijestee
Discipline
Architecture
Program
Corporaties, Residential
Period
2019-2023
Status
Completed
Photography
Eva Bloem
Partners
Trebbe, Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners
themes