Eastern City Centre Arnhem, The Netherlands (2007–2009)
Located on the Rhine, on the periphery of Arnhem’s city centre, is a zone that began to develop into an industrial offshoot of the city as early as the eighteenth century: a colourful collection of structures, virtually bereft, however, of any significant form of coherence. Bureau B+B was asked to draw up a policy document setting out urban design prerequisites (Nota van Randvoorwaarden), a framework on whose basis the municipality would be able to direct the transformation of the area. The plan is based on a branding study which concluded that an industrial character combined with an ambiance characterized by entrepreneurship and creative brooding grounds was the best option for the area’s future overall image. In concrete terms, however, studios and studio apartments as yet comprise less than 10 per cent of the programme for the new district. In order to ensure that the desired ambiance is ultimately attained, it is essential that the
‘brand’ becomes the leitmotif at all levels of scale, from architecture and the outdoor area to urban design. In spatial terms, the eastern city centre is a patchwork of smaller areas, each with its own idiosyncratic, specific ambiance, something that the aforementioned policy document underscores. The plan assigns each area its own configuration or collection of development units. The informal outdoor area connects the other areas and lends itself to rambling. For the Rijnwijk area, situated on the water, the urban design typology of the factory complex was taken as a starting point. Large volumes alternate with small-scale, finemeshed development around a common ‘inner courtyard’. The development units have a variety of roof shapes, which refer to old industrial factory buildings. The resulting composition of different configurations and roof shapes forms, like a coulisse, the new skyline of Arnhem aan de Rijn.
gradient of historical and industrial city
patchwork of areas
scale: big as stage for the small
industrial roof shapes as identity
main access routes
gefragmenteerde straatwand van individuele complexen
Type: Urban Design, Public Space Client: Municipality of Arnhem
Designteam: Bureau B+B stedebouw en landschapsarchitectuur Program: 1500 dwellings, 21,290 m2 commercial space, 9,600 m2 creative program, 500 m2 catering, 1750 m2 public program, 1400 parking places Surface: 96.4 acre Budget: -
informal outdoor area
fragmented street facades of individual complexes
area Connexxion
area Fluvium Noord + Zuid/MOW
area HGM/Amerongen
area Rijnwijk
6. 7.
1.
2.
3. 4. 8. 5.
1. fire station 2. the ‘Remise’ 3. transformer building 4. Coberco milkfactory 5. Van Ginkel 6. office ‘Milieu en Openbare werken’ (MOW) 7. studio apartments with sculpture garden 8. ‘Artfactory’
buildings with creative functions support their ‘own’ informal inner world of each area