Agaathhof, Groningen

Inspired by the familiar hofjes in Groningen, the form, composition, structural detailing and use of materials of this modern courtyard is in keeping with the existing historical street pattern and the surrounding architecture.

The housing and the courtyard have been elevated one and a half metres above street level, creating space for parking cars and bicycles and for storage areas. The housing is divided into three distinct building blocks that together form an intimate courtyard around a roof garden. The two end houses determine the front elevation view from Lutkenieuwstraat. They have an extra floor with a roof and accentuate the courtyard. From the inner corners of the courtyard, on the south side, there is a view of the Der Aa-kerk and on the east side of the Martinikerk, the city’s most important icons.

The application of a characteristic red brick in the façades, a varied brick bonding, and recessed planes, in combination with the large windows allowing a pleasant ingress of light into the home, ensure that the project is carefully embedded in the context. The yellow ochre entrances are reminiscent of the grunnings goud – the gold used in the tower of the Der Aa-Kerk.

Winner BNA Best Building Award 2017 in the Private Living Environment category; Winner of the Grote Groninger Gebouwenenquête 2016.