The design for this nature-inclusive residential building is going to be a connecting link in the neighbourhood between living and greenery. The round shape of ROOT allowed us to realise a number of great qualities with one powerful gesture: preservation of almost all the old trees on the plot, wide living rooms with panoramic balconies, terraces and intimacy in a spacious inner garden. With sturdy wooden terrace zones floating above the surrounding park, we create a transitional zone between inside and outside. A symbiotic relationship is created between the people, animals, insects, plants and urban culture of the area.

Connecting green structures

ROOT is located at a central spot in the Eindhoven neighbourhood Mensfort: adjacent to the green heart of the district and the junction of three district routes, various building types meet here. Along the smoothly curved line of the volume, a transition zone between these different types of environments is created. This also creates two worlds: a public city park, in which the existing old trees can remain, and a collective inner garden for the residents. Footpaths connect the park with its surroundings. Around the inner garden, all dwellings are accessed by wide galleries, where the sunlight enters from above, and which hang slightly elevated above the garden. This creates seating areas where intimacy and tranquillity can be enjoyed.

The timber frame

On the outside, the facades open up with wide green terraces. Halfway up the wall, the dark accent of the maisonettes with roof terrace forms a subtle fourth layer. At the northern end, the curved walls meet in a passage to the green courtyard. The grid structure in the façade refers to the interplay of lines in the surrounding reconstruction architecture. Like a flexible skeleton, the wooden structure bends with the round volume, while the many vertical lines emphasise the small-scale pledging. The fourth layer is a subtle accent of black-coloured wooden cladding. The staggered wooden ribs also provide extra privacy and are a nod to the newer surrounding high-rise buildings with similarly dynamic façade layouts.

Living among the trees

The choice of materials reinforces the feeling of ‘living among the trees’. This can be felt everywhere: on the airy, overgrown balconies, under the pergolas, inside the bright flats, along the lively galleries and in the natural courtyard garden. The floating balconies also exploit the elevation in the ground level created by the semi-underground car park to create a sense of distance and privacy.