• project: Architecture, housing
• client: Com.wonen
• designteam: Harmen van de Wal, Smahan Amrach, Sofia Fernandes
• program: 8 apartments and parking garage
• area: 1100m2
• location: Rotterdam Noord
• start of design: march 2006
• photography maquette: Ximena Davalos

For the Erasmus street in Rotterdam, housing corporation Com.Wonen
assigned Krill to do a mass study for an apartment block containing 8 apartments. The location is close to the Noordplein, a square with trendy retail facilities which could make the place an attractive location. The Erasmus street however, lacks all charm. It is for that reason that we decided to look for housing models that stand out in between the rest of the housing program. Three alternatives, containing apartments of approximately 95 m2 were developed, one of which one was elaborated in more detail.
The first alternative, the Patio-towers, combines three patio apartments with three slim
towerapartments. The first type containing private outdoor space, the latter a fascinatingly open
relationship with it’s surroundings.
The second alternative is the Sun Courtyard. Concentrated in the north and east border of the plot,
the buildingmass opens up to a collective courtyard. Each apartment is located optimally towards the sun.
The last option, the Loft block was the most flexible and economic. It is for this reason that the
commissioner decided to elaborate this alternative. It is the optimum between building mass and floor area in the given context of this location. Wide apartments were combined with a ground floor parking garage.

Tags: architecture, housing