Project Aziëpark

Azië Park is a collaborative proposal for two residential towers set in a new urban park on the outskirts of Haarlem. Developed together with Paul de Ruiter Architects and DS Landschapsarchitecten, the project’s aim is to bridge two previously isolated neighborhoods by means of a lush green space (the Aziëpark) and sensitively designed architecture within it. The towers are conceived as integral parts of the park’s ecosystem. Each features an activated plinth at ground level, containing amenities like a small gym, a tea house, and even a handful of duplex apartments with generous 4.5-meter ceiling heights. Residents enter through a verdant “garden room” lobby that directly faces the park, serving as a spacious shared living room and transition from public to private space. By incorporating public uses and welcoming common areas at their bases, the towers contribute to the liveliness of the park, blurring the line between park visitors and residents and ensuring the development engages its surroundings rather than turning inward.

The architectural form of the Azië Park towers is guided by a desire to maximize views, light, and harmony with the landscape. Each tower combines a circular outer contour with a hexagonal layout for the apartments. This unique geometry results in wedge-shaped floor plans that give every dwelling panoramic views across the park and city, as well as multiple orientations for sunlight. The rounded footprint of the towers allows the landscape to flow around them organically, minimizing the sense of bulk and avoiding harsh corners that would sever the space. To further lighten the visual impact, the undersides of the balconies are curved upward in a gentle arc, creating elegant thin floor slabs when seen from below. These balcony edges are clad in polished aluminum panels that mirror the greenery and sky, causing the towers to reflect their environment and almost dissolve into it. The facade design thus becomes a play of soft curves and reflections, punctuated by the rhythm of balcony openings.

In essence, the design treats the towers not as objects dropped into a park, but as vertical extensions of that park. The reflective, dynamic facade, the public-friendly plinth, and the abundance of outdoor spaces all ensure that the experience of living in Azië Park remains closely tied to nature and the community. The result is a pair of contemporary residential buildings that are iconic yet unostentatious – distinct in form, but always secondary to the sweeping parkland that surrounds them.