The Orchard is a new project that forms part of the redevelopment of the Bogaard Stadscentrum shopping centre in Rijswijk. The shopping centre, which opened its doors in 1963, was the first partially covered shopping centre in the Netherlands. Inspired by a visit to a San Francisco  mall, the former mayor of Rijswijk, Archibald Theodoor Bogaardt, promptly built a comparable “large shopping area” and brought the concept to the Netherlands.

The American mall concept no longer meets today’s requirements and the shopping centre is therefore undergoing a dramatic metamorphosis. De Zwarte Hond is breathing new life into the Rijswijk shopping centre with The Orchard I project.

In collaboration with developer 3W, the municipality of Rijswijk and contractor ERA Contour, the monofunctional shopping centre is being replaced by apartments and shops. In this green urban environment, where it will soon be pleasant to live and spend time, The Orchard I, with its two buildings, offers new, affordable and sustainable rental housing.

De Zwarte Hond designed The Orchard I with a plinth for commercial functions. The plinth has a green roof that is accessible to the residents. This roof garden offers sun, shelter, greenery and a relationship with the environment. The block consists of two residential towers, one of eight storeys and the other of 20 storeys, connected by an intermediate volume. The plinth, with its mix of shops and restaurants, is finished in natural stone and designed with triangular bays. Cohesion is created by mirroring the shape of the bays in the plinth in the balconies of the residential towers. This creates a playful ensemble that enhances the quality of life and ensures that the shopping centre is better connected to the surrounding district.