








At first glance, the new town centre of Nootdorp follows a
traditional plan, yet large-scale facilities and a hypermodern,
efficient distribution machine are concealed behind the small-scale
façades of the dwellings and shops.
The total plan can be seen as a fortress encircled by a ring
of dwellings. The urban-design structure came about as a result
of a search for a solution for parking space. Underground parking
proved too expensive, so a large above-ground parking garage
had to be built. Instead of relegating the large parking volume
to the outskirts of the area, it was decided to place it right
in the middle of the new town centre. An important reference
was Palladio’s sixteenth-century basilica in Vicenza, which
shows that you can give a large building a place in the midst
of a finely meshed urban fabric. Just as in Vicenza, Nootdorp’s
‘basilica’ is crowned by a copper roof and ringed by arcades.
The parking garage is invisible from the street, because it
is completely enclosed by shops and flats. The large-scale shopping
programme and the delivery streets around it are camouflaged
in a similar way.
The primary idea behind the plan was the shopping centre should
also be a pleasant place to live. Its hallmark is the great
romantic variety in houses and housing types. The dwellings
on the outer edge are semi-detached houses. They line the delivery
streets and form the finely meshed transition to the small-scale
Oranjebuurt area, immediately adjacent to the plan area. ‘Ground-connected’
homes are also located on the roof of the shops, each with its
own front door and front gardens accessible via a collective
residential deck. The homes, all of which have a view of the
public streets and squares, not only camouflage the shop boxes
and distribution courtyards, but also ensure the quality of
the public space.
The architecture is traditional, with stepped, corniced, and
bell gables, but nowhere were literal copies of old village
houses built.
[A] Jos van Eldonk
[P] Houses, shops & parking garage
[G] 51,400 m2
[C] ING Real Estate Development