The Coehoorn project in Arnhem is a design for a city within a city, consisting of a framework of creative spaces, apartments, studio houses, social housing and studios, and luxury wood lofts and penthouses.

In the joint design by ANA Architects and Studio Prototype, the existing closed building block of seven properties is transformed into a soft ensemble of large and smaller buildings, with climate-adaptive and nature-inclusive outdoor spaces, including a water patio, a rooftop garden and a silence garden that flows into the adjacent Coehoorn Park. The design team was inspired by the no-nonsense architecture in Berlin that symbolizes rawness, the organic, authentic and often anarchic architecture that does not put itself at the centre but originates from the people and the environment. This touches on the essence to which Coehoorn owes its success.

Preservation of place, identity and environment
The identity - the people and buildings - of Coehoorn is preserved as much as possible. Specifically, we are saving the 1950s building on the site from demolition, and this 'monument' forms the basis of our plan. By preserving it, we extend the current buildings and materials' life cycle, shorten the integrated plan's construction time and reduce inconvenience to people, animals and the environment. This is also the most sustainable solution and fits the character of Coehoorn.

Connection between people and landscape
The existing Coehoornpark will be reinforced with a new heart in the form of shared space: the Coehoorn Crafts Center (CCC) that can be used flexibly and spontaneously. The existing space above the parking garage will be transformed into an extension of the park, both functionally and in terms of greenery. The roof also serves as sound insulation because nowhere is it as quiet as on the mossy ground. At this height, glimpses offer a surprising perspective on the greenery and the city.

Form follows sustainability
This is expressed in the addition of nature-inclusive outdoor space that increases biodiversity, using sustainable and circular building materials and offering fully flexible floor plans that facilitate a robust residential program for the future. Coehoorn will thus become a sustainably developed creative urban district that shares values and radiates to the entire area.