De Baljurk

Archipelontwerpers produced a design for the renovation of 8 shops in the historical centre of The Hague. The street where they stand formed an exception in the otherwise beautifully refurbished city centre: the dilapidated dwellings above the shops stood empty and many of the buildings were boarded up; the public space was neglected. The client, property developer Geste, wanted to build something that would give the neighbourhood a boost. The façades of the buildings were restored and behind them new dwellings were built, accessed from a raised terrace. Below ground level is a large retail space with a flexible floor plan. The 8th, corner building has a new glass curtain wall draped in a golden steel mesh that lends the whole project an exclusive air. Attention-getting was not the only reason for choosing a sculptural form - it also alludes to the formal idiom of the Art Nouveau architecture in the immediate vicinity and to the sinuous course of the stream that once flowed here.