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Architects: De Zwarte Hond
- Area: 9942 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Eva Bloem
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Manufacturers: Ensel, Smit Bedum, Strating Baksteenindustrie
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Lead Architects: Erik Roerdink
Text description provided by the architects. The Regulateur is a compact housing block with 105 apartments, of which 79 are social rentals and 26 mid-rentals, built around an inner courtyard garden. The collaboration in the Grunobuurt was designed with the aim of making people live healthier and happier in their homes.
The stepped apartment block ranges from three to seven stories and has a beautifully rhythmic façade. 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 façade.
The frames around the windows are made from standard 100 mm deep bricks, and recessed surfaces use shallower 70 mm deep bricks. The light and views increase the higher the building gets. This is reflected in the façade image, with wider windows below that become progressively narrower towards the top. Solar panels are installed on the roofs.
Because the parking spaces for the residents are located elsewhere in the district in a garage, it was possible to turn the courtyard into an inner garden, a wadi to store rainwater, and a space where residents can stay and meet each other. This means that typologically it builds on Groningen’s tradition of ‘hofjes’, courtyard almshouses. In addition to the greenery in the inner garden, greenery on the inner sides of the building will also grow up along the façades.
All the housing types are oriented towards this inner garden by positioning their outdoor space on the courtyard side. The extra-high ground floor ensures that other programs can also enhance life in the neighborhood. The Regulateur is part of the Grunobuurt, where De Zwarte Hond is also responsible for the urban development plan and the design of the earlier completed Typhoon and Tractie residential blocks. Based on a close and longstanding collaboration between Nijestee, De Zwarte Hond, and Trebbe, this building was designed with the aim of making people live healthier and happier in their homes.
