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Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling

Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands

Historical Facade

The architects of Platform.Archi approached us for a very special project: a facade in the historical heart of Hilversum paying homage to Dutch architect and urban planner Dudok.

Adjacent to the location of the construction project at the Schoutenstraat shopping street, you can find historical buildings with special art nouveau glass elements in a building designed by Dudok.

These details inspired architect duo Sweder Spanjer and Ramon Scharff of Platform.Archi to explore their designs with the green-coloured glazed WasteBasedBricks® Wasabi Shine.

Location
Hilversum, The Netherlands
Client
Private Client
Application
Facades
Products
Wasabi Shine

Impact

Waste upcycled with this project 14.584 kg
Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling

Building the Future

Platform.Archi stands for an integrated approach to architecture; they research, design, build, publish and teach. This makes their projects pragmatic, well-thought-out and innovative.

Using architecture to build the future, Platform.Archi works from existing cultures, methods and craftsmanship to subsequently create new ideas and therefore unexpected relationships.

With a combination of StoneCycling’s WasteBasedBricks® and WasteBasedSlips®, this project cleans up 14.584 kilograms of waste and decreases the use of the same amount of raw materials.

Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling

Inspired by Dudok

Willem Marinus Dudok left behind a particularly large body of work in the span of 60 years, and the majority of this can be found in Hilversum, The Netherlands. His two major projects, constructing a new town hall and drawing up a plan for the city’s urban expansion still influence the characteristic of Hilversum’s image to this day.

Dudok designed residential areas according to the “garden village principle”, which is based on a strong foundation of industry and employment with well designed, healthy places and affordable homes. They were built by the municipality in collaboration with housing associations.

The building at the Schoutenstraat will provide six new apartments in the centre of Hilversum, build with both the area’s history, as well as its future, in mind.

Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling
Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling

Wasabi Shine

Wasabi is a collection of various tones of green, resulting in almost an impressionist-like painting when used as wall cladding. 

After composing and mixing the recipe for this product, the material goes into the production line. Here, it’s pressed into moulds and then released again.

We let the bricks dry for a few days and before they go into the kiln, we add an extra layer of Shine. This finish is a mix of recycled glass and other components. As a result, the bricks come out of the kiln with a beautifully lively surface.

The Shine finish is spectacular when used in a facade. The amount of daylight, and the angle of the sun, all influence the tone of colour of the entire surface.

StoneCycling WasteBasedBricks® - Wasabi Materials
Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling
Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling
Credit: Platform.Archi
Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling
Sustainable Apartments Honouring Dudok in Hilversum, The Netherlands StoneCycling

We looked for a material that could be a continuation of the generous brick history of the city of Hilversum. That could be a story of its own. This new type of brick, made from waste, tells this story.

Sweder Spanjer, Architect Platform.Archi

A fresh, unique colour with a modest shine.

Ramon Scharff, Architect Platform.Archi

Inspired by the blue green mosaics used by Dudok on the cantilevers of a building next to our building site, plus the white facades and traditional brick buildings nearby, the Wasabi is the perfect addition to this palette.

Ramon Scharff, Architect Platform.Archi