On the edge of the post-war Halve Maan district in Utrecht, LEVS designed 48 social rental houses at  Dickensplaats. Though the district with open building blocks is characterized by green courtyards elsewhere, the inner area of ​​the largest block Dickensplaats has a stony character. In the 1950s, the long rows of garage boxes were still a sign of the rising prosperity, now they give the neighbourhood a deserted and socially unsafe impression. Soon they will make room for 24 houses in a green setting, and a small neighbourhood within a larger neighbourhood arises. The right-angled positioning grants the surrounding houses their privacy and provides the design for the Dickensplaats with an autonomous character. Nevertheless, the architecture is inspired by post-war materialization and composition and thus connects to the built environment.

On the north side of the block, an apartment building with the same architectural language will soon replace a low building strip. With its five floors, this new building with 24 senior homes shelters the new courtyard against the noise on the adjacent sports fields and forms the fourth wall of the block. The living gallery on the south facade is both, disclosure and at the same time the sunny outdoor space overlooking the inner area. A meeting place where the residents can easily meet each other if desired. On the north side they have an unobstructed view of the sports fields and the water of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.

The starting point for the façade design is the image quality plan that has also been drawn up by LEVS. The architectural features of the neighbourhood are translated into a contemporary design. The façade has a vertical structure with narrow and wide brickwork piers. The apartment building also has the horizontal concrete belts which are typical for the existing two-floor apartments. Deep reveals and subtle material jumps and masonry connections refine the image. Particular attention has been paid to the entrances. The whole shows itself as an architectural unit that also includes the boundaries such as walls and hedges.

LEVS architecten looked beyond just the plan area. Smart positioning of the required parking spaces provides extra public green space and improves the quality of the entire building block. The existing poorly controlled courtyard gets an impulse by connecting it with the new development.