Alleviating the housing shortage is the most important building task

The corona crisis is coming to an end, the housing shortage, nitrogen crisis and the climate crisis continue. How can architecture contribute to solving social issues and improving our living environment? That is roughly the question that the Branch Association for Dutch Architectural Firms (BNA) asks itself every year with the election of the Best Building of the Year.

This year, the jury of experts chaired by Barbara Baarsma (professor of applied economics and director of the Rabo Carbon Bank) selected ten candidates from 82 entries. In the Identity and Icon Value category, these are the Amsterdam District Court and the renovated Museum Singer Laren. The housing projects Spaarndammerhart (Amsterdam) and Little C (Rotterdam) fall under the heading Livability and Social Cohesion. Stimulating Environments include the Floating Office (Rotterdam), the Depot Building of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam) and the renovation of Koning Willem I College (Den Bosch). The Trudo Toren (Eindhoven), the Stories apartment building (Amsterdam) and De Lage Lier (Molenhoek) fall into the Private Living Experience category.

What do the nominated projects say about the state of the architecture? First of all, that the major building task lies in alleviating the housing shortage in the cities. Half of the nominees concerns housing construction, only one project is not located in the city: the new Landgoed Lage Lier. This project, which was commissioned by a group of private individuals, was made possible thanks to the so-called ‘red for green’ scheme. In exchange for nature development, (small-scale) buildings may be built in rural areas. The new nature is managed by the residents of the eight houses, together with the farmer who lives further away.

The combination of building and greening can be seen in more projects. A birch forest has been planted on the roof of the Depot, and shrubs and trees grow on the balconies of the Trudo Tower. This ‘forest tower’ is a copy of the world-famous Bosco Verticale skyscrapers, which the Italian architect Stefano Boeri built in 2014 in Milan. These towers contain luxury apartments, here the concept was first realized in the social housing sector.

Spaarndammerhart (a mix of social rental, free rental and owner-occupied homes) is designed around a green courtyard and two collective courtyards. The blocks of Little C, inspired by the New York neighborhood of Greenwich Village, are situated on a green courtyard and will have a city park on their doorstep. The Stories apartment building – like the Lage Lier built for a collective of private individuals – has modern white facades with built-in flower boxes.

It is also striking that four projects have solid wooden supporting structures. It shows that timber construction does not necessarily have to be accompanied by a wooden look. This can inspire project developers to make the switch from concrete to wood construction and thus limit CO2 emissions.

The Floating Office Rotterdam goes one step further in terms of sustainability. It is a floating, energy-producing office, designed as a business card for the Global Center for Adaption, the UN-founded institute to promote climate-adaptive building.

While the demountable and movable office can easily be adapted to changing circumstances, the sustainability of the Amsterdam District Court and the renovated Museum Singer Laren lies more in the timeless appearance of the architecture. The imposing court has a natural stone interior, the new wing of Singer Laren is built from classic Dutch brick.

All things considered, the contrasts between the nominated buildings are striking. The spectacular mirror glass ‘pot’ at Museum Boijmans versus the subtly integrated extension of Singer Laren, the monumental marble court opposite the sturdy technical building of the Willem I College, and the spectacular forest tower in Eindhoven next to the simple block-box houses on the Lage Lier estate.

Will the jury opt for the grand gesture or a modest integration? Last year – surprisingly enough – the Van der Valkhotel Amsterdam Zuidas was chosen as the winner. Which building will win this year will be announced on May 12.