Fun wall art
The Kristal development company is constructing the new Het Podium housing project on the Melis Stokelaan, to the south west of the Zuiderpark area of open space in The Hague. A medium-sized project in which new houses of various types and sizes are under construction, has seen the brickwork assigned a special role. A total of 211 homes are accommodated in a separate block and three U-shaped blocks. All three of the latter blocks have a raised communal walled garden. There is a large range of house types and building shapes. For example, there are high-rise and low-rise residential blocks in which the high-rise sections are designed as galleries, with tenement flats on the edge of the plot, and low-rise, single family terraced houses in the more closed parts of the plot. The plinth of the building has space for shops and businesses. The plot is intersected by the Zwaardvegersgaarde, a street that is also known as ‘the tree lane’. This is where the artist Henri Jacobs was inspired to create the exceptional brickwork facings at the gable ends of the long blocks, which he designed for the project on the invitation of the SeARCH firm of architects. He devised patterns for the brick walls that are based on the planting plans of the apple tree orchards that were once located in this area. The patterns were converted by SeARCH into completely detailed masonry plans and detailed drawings.
Perky contrast The walls create a lively, frivolous contrast to the monotone image of post-war The Hague South West, but they did require a great deal of thought in terms of detailing. The challenge was in the processing of the different colours of brick: red, white, black and grey. In order to be true to the design by Henri Jacobs as much as possible, the position and colour of each brick was decided in advance. The structure of the walls was then planned brick by brick. After the preparation of different patterns, test set-ups were constructed at the building site in order to choose the correct brick types. SeARCH then chose a grey, red, white and black brick in consultation with Wienerberger. The differences in standard size in these four brick types were compensated for by proportionately varying the width of the joints between the bricks and selecting two dark colours of mortar. The joints were also deepened with an extended joint that gave the brickwork an extra dimension.
Integration of art into the urban environment It is not only the brickwork which is special in this housing project. The balustrade fences that border the galleries of the complex are also striking. They were designed by Dutch Design House De Makers Van and produced by craftsmen in India. With eye-catching elements, this project takes the lead in the integration of art into the urban environment. They make Het Podium a housing project that idiosyncratically sets the tone for the restructuring of Den Haag Zuidwest.
Architectural office: SeARCH, Amsterdam Artist: Henri Jacobs Facing bricks: Wienerberger - White, Grey, Red and Black hand shaped
