Student Housing Prinsengrachthofje, Den Haag

The Hague has 115 courtyards, many of which are on the list of monuments. The Prinsengrachthofje is an exploitation court from the 19th century. When Arcade People and Living took over the courtyard from the municipality, it was in neglected condition and the wooden foundation turned out to be seriously damaged; a thorough approach was needed for the rescue. At the beginning of 2007, Arcade approached our office for a feasibility study into possible types of homes in the outdated lower and upper homes. This resulted in 21 student apartments: 10 on the ground floor and 11 upstairs apartments, one of which is a video apartment located above the joint bicycle shed. By turning the stairs 180 degrees, both functional and spatial, efficient and compact homes were created that could be reached with a "normal" staircase.

The contact with Monument Care from the initial phase has led to a long-term and fruitful collaboration, in which also the complications that fire safety (new construction requirements) entailed were dealt with. In the autumn of 2009, a start was made on the overall renovation and restoration. The demolition of the rear facades, the roofs and the ground floor gave the complex the appearance of a ruin for a long time. The houses have since been rebuilt with great care and expertise. We can safely say that the best student residences in The Hague were delivered by the end of 2010.

Client: PWS Rotterdam

Design: 2003 – 2004

Construction: 2006

Contractor: FormaBouw BV Zoeterwoude