Studio Seven Architects

Where accommodation for prison officers used to be, in 2003 squatters moved in and set up a lively living and working community named Bajesdorp. With the redevelopment of the district, they took the initiative for the first permanent new-build breeding ground in the Netherlands. They gave Studio Seven the task of designing a mixed-use building with a theatre café, homes and workshops. The ground floor will be open to the public and accommodates two studios and a small theatre. On the upper floors there will be studio lofts, workshops and communal spaces.

The building is an ‘all-round’ square block in a green garden. The wood-clad façade gives the abstract block a feel-good appearance, and the rhythmically placed openings in the façade break up its rigidity. The collective and publicly accessible garden gives space for nature to develop and enhances its ecological value. Building-high climbing plants link the building to the surrounding green space. Along the road, artworks accentuate the special character of the building.

The building complies with the new ‘Virtually Energy-Neutral Building’ requirements and will be energy-neutral thanks to the collective heat and cold storage system. As regards materials, recycled concrete has been chosen which saves a huge volume of CO2 emissions. The walls are constructed of sand-lime bricks with the lowest environmental cost indicator and the wood façades contribute to CO2 storage. The roof has 71 solar collectors.

Nieuwe Bajesdorp has not been designed for profit and is an asset for the entire Bajeskwartier. Residents and workshop occupants are happy to share their collective amenities with the locals, the city and people from much further afield. So even in its new form, Bajesdorp also adds a buzz and colour to the new district.