The Veerkaden parking in the centre of the Hague has become an outdated artefact from the eighties that is no more then a parking on a prime location. Since the nineties the city of The Hague has given the example of how to regenerate its innercity with its concept and policy of the ‘Kern Gezond’. With new urban interventions, high density and a high quality approach to the materialisation of the public space the innercity, especially around the central station and the Spui can serve as a global example and strong architectural image.
But the city is never finished and the Veerkaden Garage is something from another time. The Veerkaden garage next to the Monumental Nieuwe Kerk works as a functional parking, but has nothing more to offer to the city on this prime location. With an innovative strategy collaborating partners AM Development, Multi Real Estate, Q Park and the Municipality set an ambition to renovate the bulky parking and to develop a sophisticated building with an additional program. Initially the idea was to add commercial functions on the ground and apartments on the top and keep the parking sandwiched in the middle. For reasons of feasibility the apartments did not make it. Furthermore there was the ambition of the municipality to ‘regreen’ the city. Using several municipal funds and policies to green streets, roofs and facades. Multi Real Estate took the initiative in organizing a pitch between several offices of architecture that BERG + KLEIN won. In the design the parking will be stripped and gets a ‘white translucent dress’ with a vertical pattern. With that it will serve as a lantern at night. On the ground floor shopping program accessible from both the Veerkaden boulevard and the Rabbijn Maarsen Plein create a new permeability of the area and gives the building an attractive plinth. Apart from cars the building also gets a bikeparking with an entrance on the long side of the building.
The facade will be partially greened with vertical gardens.
In discussion with the municipality the plinth of the building got better articulated in the process from concept to detailed design.
Scroll Up