Watertorenplan Raster Heemstede

The housing plan Raster is part of the Watertorenplan in Heemstede, a restructuring project on a striking and historic location. The plan derives its name from the distinctive water tower in the area. The site is a former gasworks and municipality yard and is characterized by specific edges, a busy road, the estate Hageveld and canal with port and industrial zone. An original water area is reintroduced. This restores the visual relationships in the area and separates the both parts of the urban plan. Raster includes 91 homes, piled up on a half sunken parking garage. The urban plan consists of a number of building volumes, which enclose a semi-public square. The whole is designed as brick sculpture modeled urban plan with local spatial qualities. To emphasize the sculptural effect the windows are defined as holes in the masonry. The window frames are detailed behind the masonry.