Tower Hatert’s Rippling Structure Brings Social Housing and a Health Care Together in The Netherlands

The city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands has been working on a scheme to renovate and renew their housing infrastructure. Their master plan has included the Tower Hatert, a 13-story tower with apartments built above a community health center located at the ground level. Designed by <a href="http://blog.24h.eu/">24H Architecture</a>, the tower features free-form balconies wrapped around the building with metal screen railings inspired by the patterns of leaves. The project used <a href="http://www.fscus.org/faqs/what_is_certification.php" target="_blank">FSC certified wood</a> throughout and includes a sedum covered public plaza over its underground parking garage.

Completed in October, the new residential tower holds 72 apartments on top of a community health centre on the bottom floor.

Each floor features a free form balcony that wraps around the structure, which creates a sculptural effect.

None of the balconies line up, which gives each floor access to sunlight, natural daylighting and views without being shaded from the floor above.

The balconies are wrapped in a perforated aluminum screen with a design resembling the veins of leaves.

The glass facade on the ground floor is also inspired by tree details, like the leaf grain and growth ring pattern.

Parking for the apartments is organized underneath a raised deck, which will function as a public plaza for the residents of the tower and of the town of Hatert, where the tower is actually located.

The deck is covered in sedum and works as green space and helps infiltrate stormwater.

<a href="http://www.fscus.org/" target="_blank">FSC certified</a> wood was use extensively throughout the project and includes the use of untreated cumara wood on the outside facade and bilinga wood, which was used for the wood decks and the balconies.

Inspiration for the aluminum screen balconies came from the veins of leaves.

Parking garage floor plan.

Ground floor plan.

Twelfth floor plan.

Front elevation.