Former World Building of the Year and European Prize for Architecture winner Mecanoo has revealed plans for a pair of towers set to go up in the Netherlands. The mixed-use residential buildings will create community spaces, including a rooftop garden, as well as 1,400 homes, some of which will be affordable social housing.
The project, named The Grace, is being realized near The Hague's city center. Both towers will be situated atop a seven-story plinth, which itself will host retail space, office space, a restaurant, housing, offices, a cinema, plus the rooftop garden.
The towers themselves will feature tastefully understated exteriors enlivened with rounded corners and some greenery, and will rise to a maximum height of 180 m (590 ft) and 150 m (492 ft), which will make them the first and second-tallest towers in the city, respectively, while the larger of the two will be around 25th-tallest in the EU. However, to put that into perspective, they will still be nowhere near the really tall buildings that are found elsewhere in Europe, such as Russia's magnificent Lakhta Center, which is taller than both combined.
The interiors, meanwhile (including the plinth), will host the 1,400 residential properties, of which 30 percent will be social housing, 20 percent will be mid-range housing, while the remaining 50 percent are described as free-sector rental properties.
"The buildings form a harmonious composition with subtle variations in open and closed facade elements, transparent and round corners, materialization and color," explained Mecanoo. "Residents can enjoy a view of the city and, beyond that, of the sea.
"In addition, the building supports an emerging sustainable subculture, providing residents with shared bicycles and electric cars. The Grace offers attractive communal facilities that connect residents, making it a unique place to live."
The Grace has already received a thumbs-up from local planners and is expected to be completed by 2025.
Source: Mecanoo