Wilfried van winden

The emphasis in the design is on the accentuation of the holiday mood and the picturesque surroundings by employing architecture that is atypical of Holland. The plan is a cross between an American prairie bungalow and a Norwegian chalet. The wooden structure, which seems to rise up from the earth, stands alongside the elongated inlet that connects with the Delftse Hout lake. The ground-plan is composed of a square and a cross that interlock diagonally, resulting in an octagonal middle section. Four of its corners are extended with rectangular chambers: two of these are meant to cater for large parties in a private alcove. The entrance and the kitchen, which are connected with the bar, are situated in the two other corners. In the open void... More

The idea that buildings should possess a social significance is certainly to be found in the residential project De Oriënt in The Hague. Pivotal here was to realise homes tailored to the largely Surinamese-Hindustani community that is concentrated in the third largest city in the Netherlands, the seat of our government. The design is a combination of the typical residential blocks in The Hague, which surround semi-public courtyards, and ornamentation which reflects Hindustani influences but also refers to the Art Nouveau. The plan for De Oriënt was designed to fit a triangular ‘insertion’ into the urban structure. Because of its perimeter block typology, this block conforms to the urban structure of the Transvaal neighbourhood. However, t... More

The building is composed of three stacked, interlocking spaces: the prominent entrance portal on the west side, the main space in the middle and the semicircular mihrab (a niche which indicates the direction of Mecca) on the southeast side. The three spaces are crowned with domes. Because the site available was 800 m2 and the programme of requirements amounted to 2,600 m2, it was decided to organise the building vertically. The mosque therefore counts four levels. The ground floor has mainly a non-religious function. The prayer halls for men are situated in the central square space extending over the first and second floors with an internal balcony; on the third floor there are prayer halls for women. A library, the imam’s chamber, offic... More

Zaandam town centre is being radically revamped on the basis of an urban development plan is reinstating the historical street layout, reconstructing an urban waterway and reintroducing atmosphere into the somewhat impersonal and dull town centre, employing magnified stylistic features of the historical Zaanse Schans village. The hotel is the new centre’s eye-catcher and icon. The colossal, twelve-storey-high hotel tower, essentially square in plan, is a monumental stacking and interpretation of various green-painted house types typical of the Zaan region, ranging from a stately notary’s dwelling to worker’s cottages. ‘The Blue House’, inspired by the work Claude Monet painted at Zaandam in 1871, is the ultimate attention-grabber. The ov... More