waterstad goese schans – housing project in zeeland

client: Heijmans Vastgoed BV
location: Goes, NL
size: 34 ground bounded houses
status: 2007 – 2012 (first phase completed)

This housing scheme is part of the urban masterplan “Waterstad Goese Schans” by West 8. Located at the fringe of the medieval city of Goes, the Netherlands, the project comprises 34 dwellings and accomplishes the first phase in a large scale urban transfromation process of the city’s former port area. Low rise and high density, as well as clear orientation and an individual address for all inhabitants were the guiding parameters for the architects, in order to enhance the residents identification with the new neighborhood.The issue of typological authenticity within the traditional Zeeland housing context was pivotal throughout the whole design proces. Without imitating, this housing scheme strives to reinterpret local building techniques, by translating them into a piece of contemporary architecture. Establishing a firm connecting between the historical references and a modern society.The series of houses are based on simple, yet carefully chosen architectural principles such as a homogeneous clay brick materialisation, a rigid repetition of the facade structure, deeply recessed windows and an unusual precision of detailing.