Residence Zuidkwartier

Client: Verelst Projectontwikkeling
Location: Mechelen
Realization: 2017 – …
Design team: Tom Verschueren, David Driesen, Rob Naulaers, Kristof Van Parijs, Ine Papen, Eva Vanderborcht, Dries Delagaye, Silke Verstappen, Lennart Visser
Structural engineer: Ingenieursbureau Concreet
Engineer Techniques: Raco Studiebureau
Credits 3D image: dmvA
Size: 77 units


Residence Zuidkwartier is part of the Mahatma Ghandi district within cycling distance of the center of Mechelen. The project consists of 77 residences with a diversity of housing typologies, including patio houses, garden houses, stacked houses, duplexes, apartments… The open space, which acts as a catalyst for the site, is greened as much as possible and consists of different atmospheres of public space: A front garden at the Ghandi street with more urban characteristics, a meeting spot between the buildings, a green lane with a wadi and game element, a courtyard, and a city forest with a grand entrance via the green lane. A pedestrian and bicycle connection runs through the forest.

The design of the site is a reinterpretation of the garden disctrict idea, whereby sufficient space and privacy is created for each home. The living units are distributed over 12 small-scale buildings, varying in building height, which are accessed by a fabric of alleys and squares. This results in a project on human scale. The site has been executed in a sober contemporary architecture with refined detailing which is reflected in the design of the entrance doors with awnings, the benches, the terraces, and the windows.

The combination of greening, the realization of spaces with different identities and the architectural elaboration with garden walls and benches give the project a high living quality that invites the residences to interact.

The design of the site is a reinterpretation of the garden disctrict idea, whereby sufficient space and privacy is created for each home. The living units are distributed over 12 small-scale buildings, varying in building height, which are accessed by a fabric of alleys and squares. This results in a project on human scale. The site has been executed in a sober contemporary architecture with refined detailing which is reflected in the design of the entrance doors with awnings, the benches, the terraces, and the windows.

The combination of greening, the realization of spaces with different identities and the architectural elaboration with garden walls and benches give the project a high living quality that invites the residences to interact.