Assen (NL) winner
Egbert de Warle (NL)
Hoofdweg 4bv
Marcus Kempers (NL)
1058 BC Amsterdam,
architects
the Netherlands T. +31 624171820 info@egbertdewarle.nl www.egbertdewarle.nl
282 Embrace the present
The plots for the project site in the brief break up the canal and harbour and actually reduce quay by blocking the north side of the harbour
One slab along the quay offers the same built volume as required in the brief, defines the canal, forms a small harbour for private yachts and adds waterfront for residents of the building
Team point of view The present must be accepted and embraced as the first step in any adaptation process. The proposed building and subsequent steps build on the existing infrastructure and seek to use and re-use materials and buildings on the site. This strategy will strengthen and develop the identity of the Havenkwartier. The building is a catalyst for this strategy. The footprint of the brief is reshaped to align with the canal, thus creating a separate marina on the north side of the building. The slab is conceived as a double bridge construction with glass facades in between. The lower deck is level with the water so all units have direct access to the water. The upper deck is used for parking. The building will be sold by the metre so that its growth reflects market interest. Jury point of view The project advances convincing arguments for a single, bold, 260 metre-long building for the intervention area, rather than two as the required by the brief. It is an intervention that is both powerful and respectful of the existing fabric. The building has everything required to act as a catalyst for a series of subsequent interventions. Step-by-step, a new, robust urban environment can develop that suddenly will suddenly make Assen attractive for a new group of inhabitants.
The Havenkwartier with the proposed building and several subsequent steps
The streets will get a new profile, more suited to pedestrians and cyclists, with sidewalks and a clear distinction between public space and the adjoining private plots. Shown here is the Storkweg