Kavel 16 Ypenburg

Kavel 16 is an expressive part of the suburb Ypenburg, the Hague. The name Ypenburg refers to the former airport of the same name, the airstrip is the central green of the neighbourhood. Kavel 16 borders this space by an apartment building with terraces. Besides this object, the old control tower reminds of the past. In 1997 there was a contest for urban design and bidding for this area. The winning team was Urbis/IBC. The design has been adapted to changing circumstances in 2004. The masterplan shows an changeover from the large scale of the former airstrip to the small scale of the individual housing. Important is the idea of a large central court, which functions as a central community square for the neighbourhood. Here silence dominates, cars are treated as visitors, which has been made clear in the design of the public space. The court has a strong form and is very typical in its ending to the surrounding area. The walls of the court are long, but not tedious, while variation and plasticity dominate. The changeover to small scale developments has been formed in a modern way, outside the central court, inside Kavel 16.