We were commissioned to develop the masterplan for a mixed-use regeneration project on the CiBoGa terrain, a large post-industrial site on the edge of the Groningen city centre.
Our design for phase 1 of the masterplan delivers an extensive range of housing choices that vary according to orientation, to access and to how they relate to existing buildings. The two blocks are ‘opened up’ to form a sequence of inter-connected collective ‘parochial’ spaces that range from courtyards and roof terraces to belvederes, courtyards and private gardens. The multi-layering of activities and landscape offers an alternative to the interiorised and hermetic world of the traditional urban block.
Retail and commercial space are introduced into the project, seamlessly tucked underneath a stepped ground surface. Housing is accessed by a multi-levelled courtyards that create a sequence of transitional spaces from the surroundings streets to the entrances of the homes.