beaufort, Zeist

This design for a sculptural tower of stacked forest villas, named Beaufort, is located on the edge of a forested area in the middle of the country. The building contains 19 spacious apartments offering panoramic views of the forested surroundings.

The tower is part of a plan to restructure the Kerckebosch neighbourhood in Zeist, and is the last in a series of new apartment buildings in one of the green wedges on the edge of the forest.

The concept and material elaboration of the tower are based on the themes of ‘sand’, ‘tree trunk’ and ‘leaf’. Stacking these themes as layers on top of one another generated the design

The green and wooded area and sandy soil provided the immediate inspiration for the design of the residential tower. The concept and material elaboration of the tower are based on the themes of ‘sand’, ‘tree trunk’ and ‘leaf’. Stacking these themes as layers on top of one another generated the design. The theme of ‘sand’ encompasses the balcony parapets and terraces. Outdoor ceilings are designed as part of the ‘leaf’ theme, taking the form of an informal green finish on all the lower sides of balconies and cantilevered surfaces. Finally, the supporting columns and Frake timber façade cladding are elaborated as part of the ‘tree trunk’ theme.

The tower looks sculptural and luxurious, but it is also composed within a rational grid, with a supporting structure made up of the core and the columns set into the facade. This structure extends into the half-sunken car park, where the storage units of the apartments are also located. The building contains 10 floors above ground, with two L-shaped apartments arranged symmetrically on each floor, which are rotated 90 degrees with respect to the floor below. The exception within this configuration is the top floor, containing a penthouse with a 360-degree view of the surroundings.

The building is rooted in its green setting. Accessible via a gently sloping forest path, the entrance is located where the angled facade folds inwards to create an invitingly designed opening. Immediately inside, visitors enter a double-height hall with views of the surroundings and the centrally positioned core, containing the lifts and staircases to the apartments.

The apartments feature spacious outdoor spaces on all sides. The alternate floor slabs extending outwards create ‘outdoor rooms’ at strategic points. Here, the border between inside and outside seems to blur, allowing the wooded surroundings to become part of the living experience on this remarkable site. Because the apartments on each floor are mirrored, the outdoor spaces on each level are positioned differently.

The tower reads as an irregular stack of balconies and parapets, weaving them in a natural way into the wooded setting. At the same time, it is a landmark that indicates the entrance to Kerckebosch.

The tower reads as an irregular stack of balconies and parapets, weaving them in a natural way into the wooded setting
Project Details
  • Site
  • Zeist, The Netherlands
  • Client
  • Slokker Vastgoed BV & NCB-Projectrealisatie
  • Design
  • 2019 >
  • Size
  • 4.400 m2
  • Program
  • Housing
  • Assignment
  • Commission
  • Team
  • Jeroen Schipper, Julija Osipenko, Rik Meijer, Max Hissink, Dirk Jansen, Rutger Schoenmaker, Angeliki Chantzopoulou, Matilde Miuzzi, Frank Schulze, Maria Gómez Garrido, Kapilan Chandranesan
  • Urban Planner
  • wUrck
  • Advisors
  • IMD Raadgevende Ingenieurs, Goudstikker De Vries, Huygen Installatie Adviseurs, ABT
  • Contractor
  • Slokker Bouwgroep
  • Visuals
  • VERO Digital
  • Photography
  • Orange Architects
Publications