On the former site of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Breda, the Netherlands, Wenink Holtkamp Architecten and NAMO Architecture have designed a residential development combining 51 social rental homes with shared gardens and communal facilities. The project, originally known as Lofts and Gardens and subsequently named Liniehof, incorporates remnants of the site's industrial past into a new residential setting.
Located on Stationslaan in Breda's Linie district, the dealership was founded by local businessman Jan Kennis. It included a workshop, showroom, and offices, attracting motorcycle enthusiasts from across the Benelux region and becoming a well-known establishment in Breda. Only a few remnants of the original industrial buildings survive.
Developed during the 1950s, the Linie district was designed to combine urban living with a high quality of life. More recently, new housing developments have increased its residential density. Against this backdrop, housing association Alwel identified the former dealership site as an opportunity to provide affordable rental homes for smaller households while maintaining a diverse local housing supply.
Alwel organised a design-and-build competition, won by a team led by contractor Van Wijnen Breda. The winning proposal, Lofts and Gardens, was designed by Wenink Holtkamp Architecten and NAMO Architecture, with landscape design by mulderendevries architecten (m/v)*.
Industrial heritage and street art
The development comprises four brick residential blocks with pitched roofs of varying heights, positioned perpendicular to Stationslaan. Their arrangement follows the existing urban structure of the Linie district. The architectural concept combines robust masonry buildings with planted courtyards, integrating surviving elements of the former Harley garage into the new development.
The masonry piers characteristic of the neighbourhood and the retained industrial structures informed the design of the new buildings. Projecting piers and recessed brickwork establish a common architectural language, while subtle variations in brick colour and texture distinguish the individual blocks.
Each residential building has a spacious, transparent entrance directly accessible from Stationslaan. The ground-floor arrangement also incorporates the Wasbar, a communal meeting place with shared laundry facilities, encouraging interaction between residents. Bicycle storage provides an additional shared facility.
Street art was incorporated into the architectural design from the outset, giving the largely enclosed facades along Stationslaan a distinct identity. Created by Belgian artist DZIA in collaboration with Blind Walls Gallery, the murals, titled De Linie van DZIA, depict wildlife inspired by the area's historical landscape and biodiversity.
Compact homes organised around a central core
The residential design prioritises spatial quality within apartments ranging from 50 to 70 square metres. Rather than dividing the interiors into conventional rooms connected by corridors, the architects have consolidated the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and storage into a central core. Living rooms and bedrooms are arranged around this core, establishing visual connections between spaces and allowing daylight to penetrate the apartments.
Three residential typologies accommodate different living arrangements. The Garden Loft is situated on the ground floor, overlooking the planted courtyards. The City Loft occupies the upper floors, offering views towards the gardens and surrounding city. The Split-Level Loft is a ground-level dwelling arranged across two floors.
All apartments face the landscaped courtyards, where private terraces and balconies provide outdoor space. The relationship between the individual dwellings and communal gardens is central to the residential concept.
Shared gardens and biodiversity
The landscape design introduces interconnected green courtyards around the four residential blocks. At the rear of the development, these spaces connect to form a continuous landscaped environment. A planted pergola covers the parking area, extending the greenery across the site.
The retained industrial structures form a boundary along the busy Stationslaan, separating the residential gardens from the street. New openings through these structures provide access for residents, visitors, and pedestrians.
Hard landscaping is minimised in favour of planted areas that improve privacy and provide green views from the apartments. The gardens and vegetated facades incorporate predominantly native species, supporting local biodiversity. The planting strategy also provides nesting opportunities, food sources, and shelter for birds and bats.
Trees, shrubs, and ground cover contribute to shading and cooling during warmer weather. The gardens also incorporate measures for managing rainfall, responding to increasingly variable climatic conditions. By limiting impermeable surfaces, rainwater can infiltrate directly into the soil. Runoff from the roofs is directed towards infiltration crates, allowing water to be temporarily retained and gradually absorbed into the ground.
The landscape design also incorporates reclaimed construction materials throughout the courtyards, reducing the demand for new materials.
Materials and construction
Alongside the retention of existing industrial remnants and the use of reclaimed materials in the courtyards, the project incorporates concrete containing recycled aggregates.
During construction, contractor Van Wijnen used concrete supplied by A. Jansen B.V., in which some of the sand and gravel were sourced from recycled materials. The aggregates undergo thermal cleaning to make them suitable for reuse in new concrete.
According to Van Wijnen, using this concrete reduced demand for primary raw materials by more than 800 tonnes and resulted in a reduction of almost 29 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
