Blok 1 Presikhaaf, Arnhem, NL

The ten story building Blok 1 is serving as a landmark and visual beacon of renewal for the Presikhaaf area. The solitaire character is enhanced by the overall orientation and composition of the facade. Due to the staggering and the amount of windows, the building seems bigger than it really is. Also, due to the variation in size of the windows, none of the student dorms are the same at the inside.

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The façade will be covered in panelling with a slightly differing finish, creating a subtle pattern that refers to the structure of a tree, without being literally recognisable. This pattern was developed by projecting a tree structure on the façade; the tree structure was then modified by dividing it into pixels, and by subsequently transforming these pixels into an abstract image. Thus Blok 1 forms a unified composition with the surrounding trees.

The ground floor comprises support facilities for the students, technical areas and commercial units. Each of the nine upper floors is laid out with ten dorms. The top floor will be used as a communal roof terrace.

Within the restricted budget, GROUP A has been able to create a number of high quality solutions, like the large windows on the corners and the roof terrace with its nice views.

Student housing Blok 1 is part of the redevelopment which proposes to partly demolish existing post-war housing estates in the Presikhaaf neighbourhood, making way for new, low density, housing developments.