Maastricht-based Martens Willems & Humblé Architecten has completed a new apartment building in the Wyckerpoort neighborhood of Maastricht on the edge of the “Groene Loper” (Green Carpet), a burgeoning green residential and working environment. The apartment building’s red brickwork references the “Amsterdam School” style of architecture.
For many years, the residential area of Wyckerpoort was originally sandwiched between a railway line to the west and a highway (introduced in 1959) to the east. Tunneling of the highway provided the foundation for a new green urban boulevard — the five-kilometer-long (three-mile-long) Groene Loper — which runs north to south on the tunnel’s roof and reconnects the formerly isolated Wyckerpoort neighborhood with the city.
The new apartment building (referred to as Miller II) has 38 apartments and is adjacent to two rows of social housing that were also designed by Martens Willems & Humblé Architecten (Miller I). The apartment building and houses sit on the northern edge of the Groene Loper.
The apartment building’s red brickwork references the early 20th century “Amsterdam School” style of architecture — Amsterdam School buildings are characterized by the use of brick and expressive forms with a particular focus on social housing. The apartment building’s red brick continues the material language of the adjacent houses; decorative architectural accents are framed with red glazed stones in a tile pattern. The brickwork crown motif recalls the 1920s Hoofdweg mixed-use housing and retail development in Amsterdam by architect Hendrik Wijdeveld, a proponent of the Amsterdam School.
The apartment building’s larger volume acts like a ridge, combating noise pollution from the tunnel openings and Viaductweg, thereby shielding the Wyckerpoort neighborhood. Wide gallery corridors on the side of the building that faces the road help to buffer noise. Described by Martens Willems & Humblé Architecten as “small elevated residential streets”, the large windows, wide walkways, and inclusion of benches impart a residential air. Higher apartments are oriented on both sides and ground-floor apartments have both extra height and small gardens. Stairwells are housed in the cylindrical volumes at either end of the building.
The apartment building includes rooftop solar panels, underfloor heating, nest boxes in the facade, and sedum on parts of the roof to reduce internal temperatures and improve biodiversity.
Materials: Vandersanden eco-bricks and St. Joris glazing stones.
