ZJA

A beautiful and ambitious plan envisioned a rigorous change: a parking lot besides a busy road was to be transformed into a park, right in the middle of central Apeldoorn. It required the construction of an underground parking garage, a low-traffic area, new bicycle paths and a prominent role for the local brook, The Grift, that after a long time was to be brought above ground again. OKRA landscape architects designed a city park, the Catherina Amalia Park, that adds a green gateway to the inner city and creates a space to meet and mingle for different groups of residents and visitors. Under this city park in Apeldoorn, architectural studio ZJA designed a two-story parking garage with a capacity for 240 cars. During the weekends the garage... More

Along the water Just west of Amsterdam’s Central Station a new extension of Amsterdam is being built. Of the three Houthavens (Timberdocks), the middle one is being transformed into a residential area. The Pontsteiger building is the 90-meter high icon that functions as the landmark of this development. It is a robust, square building towering above the water in a bend of the river IJ. A dam connects the building to the Tasmanstraat. The entrance to the two underground parking garages is also to be found on this dam. One garage serves the residents and users of the Pontsteiger building, the other one is a municipal parking with a capacity of 277 cars for permit holders in the Tasman neighbourhood. This one, the Pontsteiger parking ga... More

Sportsfacility in a green landscape Just outside the centre of the city of Assen, to the southwest, one finds the Asser woods, and right next to it lies Stadsbroek, a recreational area with some of the main sports facilities of the city. Football pitches, a swimming pool, a velodrome and a sportsfacility, that opened in 2012 and was designed by the architectural studio ZJA. The objective was rather modest, one big hall for the students of nearby schools to accommodate their lessons in physical education. During the weekends and evenings amateur indoor sports clubs would use it. The additional functions are minimal: toilets, dressing rooms, an entrance lobby and a janitor’s space, and storage for the goalposts, gymnastic equipment an... More

From parking lot to city square Bordering the historical city centre of the city of Kortijk in Western Flanders are two parks, Begijnhofpark and Stadspark. Right in between those two parks lays the Houtmarkt, formerly a place where visitors to the inner city and the health care centre St Vincentius parked their cars. The new parking garage that architects ZJA has designed in collaboration with SBE not only houses 170 cars but also offered the opportunity to build an inviting city square. What used to be a dreary parking lot is now a green square. OKRA Landscape Architects was responsible for the lay out of the new Houtmarkt and by means of paths that vary in width and follow flowing lines, they created a square that has a spacious and com... More

A landmark for The Hague Since the summer of 2007, approaching the city of The Hague by car means having your eyes drawn to a familiar landmark: the billowing silhouette of the ADO stadium with its robust, angular lighting masts. The stadium strikes a bold and somewhat tough pose, it seems. The light reflects on the aluminium citadel, as it radiates strength and daring. The high glass facade in front of the atrium counters this impression, as does the interruption in the lining of the roof and the irregular distribution of windows. These are the inviting and playful elements added to the home of The Hague’s football club. Experience is number one When the club left its old home in the Zuiderpark the fans feared a loss of atmosphere... More

The integrated approach Between Bruges’ seaport and the city of Bruges itself we find the famous polder landscape of Western Flanders. Villages and farm fields, intersected by ditches, rivers and canals, are surrounded by the expanding port, industrial complexes and motorways. Architects ZJA and landscape architect Bart Smets provided the design and concept for the integration of the new A11 motorway along with all its civil engineering works that connect the hinterland directly to the seaport of Zeebrugge. The basic principle in this was an integrated approach, aiming for an optimum in several ways and prioritizing the beneficial coherence of all elements involved. A four-lane motorway, featuring an elevated roundabout, tunnels, a... More

Between Amsterdam and Almere It seems an odd question: is it possible to drastically improve the infrastructure of the northern part of the Randstad, between Diemen and Almere, and at the same time preserve the Dutch landscape and improve ecological values? The question becomes even more odd when one realizes that this entails a stretch of motorway of 23 kilometers, where extra lanes are added to the A1 and A6 and some 50 structures including bridges, ecoducts, bicycle tunnels, fly overs and even an aquaduct leading under a river are part of the plan. And yet, one can conclude that the answer to this odd question can be a resounding yes. This complex infrastructural landscape is part of a larger project to improve the connection between S... More

Sports in a new city Almere Poort is fast growing section of the city, close to the Hollandse Brug and the banks of the IJ lake. The volleyball and basketball clubs of Almere both play in the top leagues and to meet international standards a new state of the art sports facility was called for. When passing along the motorway A6 one can see the powerful silhouette of the sports centre designed by architects ZJA. Its curved facade is adapted to meet the requirements that sports venues and stands demand. The building houses a modern indoor sports arena where 3.000 people can watch basketball and volleyball games, as well as handball and indoor football matches. It is complemented by skyboxes, offices and a cafeteria. Next to the arena is a... More

The countryside and the rivers In order to innovate and optimize the inland shipping connection Antwerp-Paris, also called the Schelde-Seine Course, bridges all over Belgium and France are being replaced, channels deepened, banks relocated, and quays renewed. This is also the case where the river Schelde runs through the town of Wetteren. The old footbridge that connected the two parts of town, needed to be replaced by a new one that met the demands of higher vertical clearance. Wetteren on the Schelde The new bicycle bridge at Wetteren is aligned with the choir of the St Gertrudis Church and the market square. This has all to do with the ambitious development of the centre of town, branded Wetteren on the Schelde. A new complex of multi... More

The bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the railway line Sittard-Geleen, a design by architects ZJA, intends to simplify and increase contacts between the city, business park Fortuna and sports area Limburg. The bridge not only lies firmly embedded in the green roadside scenery along both railroad tracks, but it also has an elegant form and subtle details. The chosen form of the hourglass, for instance, wordlessly invites passers-by to come closer and cross the bridge. The bridge as a connecting linkThe bridge offers a natural and smooth connection to the bike paths from four directions. By basing the design on a reduction of the height of the catenary, the maximum difference in height on accessible surfaces could be reduced to just over th... More

The town of Boechout is situated in the suburban area east of Antwerp. There, bordering on a nature reserve, lays Sportspark Sneppenbos, designed by the architectural office ZJA and conveniently placed in the center of several residential areas. It is a large multifunctional facility for indoor and outdoor sports on a location next to what used to be military warehouses but is now a recycling wharf. The new building consists of two levels with the lower one housing a vast sports hall for all indoor sports, including badminton and gymnastics. All the associated toilets, dressing rooms and offices are located there as well. Next to it is a multifunctional hall that can serve as an extension of the sports hall, by removing a mobile wall. This... More

Have you ever noticed the waves that hide inside brown cardboard boxes which move silently and unobtrusively through the world? They are in the material itself, a thin sheet of paper undulating between two thicker sheets of cardboard. These paper waves create space and structure. By trapping air and a having a crushable zone, corrugated cardboard is light, strong and even insulating and protective. For the design of The Timeless Box, a skybox in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam, commissioned by Hans van Veggel and Timeless Investments, the architectural office ZJA applied this everyday material, but ignored all the useful qualities. It is about the beauty that can be generated by a combined action of two types of waves: mechanically re... More

An additional bicycle bridge Cutting through the Flemish landscape near Beringen, just outside the city of Hasselt, the Albert Canal passes the town of Tessenderlo. The canal connects Liège and the eastern part of the country to the port of Antwerp, and is being adapted to the larger sizes and measures of contemporary inland shipping as part of a vast project. This not only leads to the enlargement of locks, but also to new and much higher bridges, to accommodate the new clearing height of 9.10 meter. Along the canal a series of new bridges will be built, designed by Laurent Ney and consisting of two arches leaning against each other. At Tessenderlo architects ZJA were asked to design an additional bicycle bridge over the Albert Ca... More

A new bridge in Merksem Hovering like a bird of prey high above the city of Antwerp you would see the glistening Schelde River, slowly meandering from the hinterland towards the old city and flowing out into a global seaport on the North Sea. From all directions highways and roads flock together to form a huge knot called The Ring, which has been causing problems for local and ongoing traffic for decades. The city is looking forward to the start of an immense project that aims to vastly improve life with the Ring, partly by roofing over the road and adding sound barriers and parks. Cutting right though the north of the city, from Schelde to the east is the Albert Canal, connecting the cities of Limburg and Liege with the port of Antwerp. C... More